"In the next 10 plus years China will be able to catch up with advanced nations in civil aviation in terms of strength, quality, capability and competitiveness," Yang Yuanyuan, minister of CAAC, said in Singapore Thursday.

The minister made the remarks when delivering an inaugural lecture at the World Civil Chief Executives Forum, organized by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and attended by over 60 delegates from 47 countries.

Yang said China's civil aviation has maintained an average annual growth rate of 17.4 percent, 16 percent and 15.3 percent in the air traffic turnover, air passenger traffic volume and the air cargo & mail traffic, respectively, from 1989 to 2001.

And the country's air transport volume is expected to reach 30 billion ton kilometers in 2010 with passenger and cargo & mail traffic being 140 million people and 4.7 million tons, respectively, the minister said.

Highlighting future reform and open-up in China's civil aviation industry, Yang said that the efforts are aimed at building good aviation administrative and market systems, supporting companies' internal integration, proceeding with the airports' localization reform, comprehensively improving the open-up standard, promoting internal open-up while expanding open-up to outside, enhancing levels of science, technology and education and beefing up security and safety regulations.

The minister pointed out that the global civil aviation is at turbulent times and the world aviation community should strengthen cooperation and take collective actions in dealing with the severe challenges the global civil aviation faces.

Under the auspices of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and with the formulation and implementation of wider and deeper projects, adequate forces could be amassed to overcome the current difficulties, the Chinese minister said, citing programs for security and safety, security audit and aviation war risk insurance mechanism adopted by ICAO last year.

ICAO Council President Assad Kotaite gave a key-note speech at the opening of the forum.

(Xinhua News Agency February 7, 2003)