Biden-Xi announce expanded aviation relationships—” not so fast” as to aircraft certification
Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met recently (see below article) and they discussed expanding air service between the US and the PRC. The article mentions that US ambassador Nicholas Burns was present and conducted some of the talks at his home. Curiously, there was no mention of Sec. Buttigieg whose department authorizes international transportation, the target of an announcement.
Even more inexplicable was that the DOT Secretary holds the ultimate decision over China’s expressed goal to assume its rightful global position as a manufacturer and exporter of commercial air transport. The CAAC, also present at the Summit, has ambitions for its C9191 (approved by the CAA and only domestic sales) and the C9292 on the drawing boards (originally a joint project with Russia). Aircraft sales are heavily influenced from whence their airworthiness was determined. A CAAC “seal of approval” may be enough for some countries, but buyers with the finances to actually purchase these aircraft (i.e., not a loan from the PRC) will want a Certificate of Airworthiness from the FAA or EASA
That’s where the DOT and its agency the FAA have the say. Existing documents establish the parameters between the two civil aviation authorities. The titles can denote significant comity between CAAC and FAA, but the details do not convey much recognition of the Chinese technical competence.
Further, the FAA’s International Aviation Assessment (IASA) marks CAAC as acceptable, but the underlying judgments did not include high marks as to its TECHNICAL COMPETENCE and particularly as to the INDEPENDENCE OF THE AUTHORITY TO POLITICAL INFLUENCE.
The Xi-Biden proclamation, “enhancing cooperation between the two countries’ civil aviation sectors across the board,” may send Chinese aeronautical enterprises to include FAA certifications and even more global sales in their plans. To quote an “aviation” (“air football”) savant, “NOT SO FAST!!!” Sec. Buttigieg’s absence may reflect that he is not on board with this optimism.
In any event, any PRC company with expectations of gaining from this cooperation across the Board would be well advised to identify professionals with FAA certification experience and who have worked in China. The career employees who will do the onsite inspections are more likely to rely on colleagues with whom they have worked for decades than to follow advice from above.
US, China Accelerate Aviation Talks Following Biden-Xi Deals
Jacob Gu and Danny Lee
US, China Accelerate Aviation Talks Following Biden-Xi Deals
(Bloomberg) — American and Chinese officials are working to bring back more passenger flights between the world’s two largest economies, another sign of progress following deals struck last week between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in California.
Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) chief Song Zhiyong held talks with the US ambassador Nicholas Burns Tuesday in Beijing, the regulator said in a statement on Wednesday. The duo had “in-depth” discussions on significantly increasing flights and ENHANCING COOPERATION BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES’ CIVIL AVIATION SECTORS ACROSS THE BOARD, the Chinese readout added. Burns described his meeting with Song as “productive” in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Aviation connects us all, and US firms enable that connectivity in China and the world,” he added.
The Hong Kong-listed shares in China’s biggest airlines traded lower Thursday. As of 9:41 a.m. local time, China Southern Airlines Co. declined 1%, China Eastern Airlines Corp fell 0.8% and Air China Ltd. was down 0.7%. The benchmark Hang Seng Index dropped 0.7%.
Biden’s Nov. 15 talks with Xi on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit had yielded progress in repairing strained ties in the bilateral relationship, hailing agreements to restore high-level military communications, combat fentanyl and open a dialogue over artificial intelligence. The meeting also saw an agreement to substantially increase flights between the two countries early next year, according to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Shortly after the summit, Air China Ltd. announced it will resume flights to Washington and increase its service to Los Angeles starting this month. Flights between the US and China, which averaged 340 a week before Covid-19 sent the world into lockdowns, were slow to return after pandemic controls lifted. American officials said last month that flights between the countries would increase to 70 a week in early November.
Song also attended the US-China Aviation Cooperation Program reception held at Burns’s residence and addressed an audience of more than 100 that included officials from aviation regulators in both countries as well as representatives from Boeing Co. including its China head Alvin Liu and other firms. China is encouraging American aviation businesses to invest and expand in the country, he said.
–With assistance from Foster Wong.
