China will set up two major air traffic control (ATC) centers in the central and western regions.
With ATC centers already in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, China will then have five ATC centers.
Air traffic in central and western regions has increased dramatically thanks to China's strategy for developing western regions. Therefore it is vital to improve the ATC environment, strengthen the system construction, and implement radar control, according to Chen Haiju, director general of Air Traffic Management Bureau of General Administration of Civil Aviation of China.
China will spend about ten years setting up a reliable, advanced and well-equipped ATC system, Chen added.
Experts estimate Chinese air traffic will grow by 8 to 10 percent annually, higher than the international average.
(People's Daily June 12, 2002)
