A pact signed yesterday between US Transportation Secretary Mary Peters and Chinese Minister of Civil Aviation Yang Yuanyuan will prove key to doubling commercial traffic by 2012 and allow unlimited cargo flights between the two countries, according to a US Transportation Department news release.

 

The Chinese department is currently planning to unveil a new route for a US carrier later this year and is currently accepting proposals from airlines for new services in 2008 and 2009. 

 

The deal will prove beneficial to Seattle which will see its position reinforced as "one of the best gateways to the Pacific," said Peters, at the signing ceremony at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. 

 

"Our goal is to make flying from places like Seattle to China as easy as flying to New York or Boston today," Peters said. "By providing more and cheaper shipping choices to China, this agreement will make it easier for US companies to tap into China's enormous market."

 

The agreement is set to create over US$5 billion in passenger and cargo revenues for the airline industry over the next six years, and as much as US$8 billion in new economic activity in the United States, Peters added. 

 

The agreement was hashed out over the past year with the final touches being decided on during discussions in Washington, D.C. in May.

 

 (Shanghai Daily July 10, 2007)