China has been deeply involved in international civil aviation management in recent years, with its role transitioning rapidly from a participant to a significant contributor and leader.
The country has been elected the Part I Council member of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) since 2004, actively engaging in the formulation of standards and policies.
In recent years, over 280 Chinese experts have participated in almost all expert groups of the ICAO as members or advisors.
"We took the initiative to integrate Chinese experience into the revision and update of standards of the ICAO, contributing Chinese wisdom to the standard-making process related to electronic license and operations of high-plateau airports. The integration of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System into the ICAO's standards will provide safe air navigation services for global civil aviation," said Wang Ruoyuan, deputy director of the Foreign Affairs and International Organization Division, Department of International Affairs, Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).
In addition, the CAAC actively aligns with the standards of the ICAO, keeps improving the domestic legal framework. Its safety management practices have received high recognition from the ICAO, making a positive contribution to the security and development of the country's civil aviation sector.
Over the years, China's civil aviation transport scale, efficiency, and service quality have been steadily and rapidly improving, with its share in the comprehensive transport system increasing year by year. For several consecutive years, its contribution to the growth of global air transportation has exceeded 20 percent.
According to data from the CAAC, as of the end of October 2024, China had a total of 262 air carrier airports and a fleet of 4,365 transport aircraft.
The country's civil aviation sector also handled over one trillion passenger trips. In addition, the country's civil aviation sector achieved the total transport turnover of 123.83 billion tonne-kilometers, and cargo and mail transport volume of 28.85 billion tonne-kilometers, the CAAC said.
"China's airlines have opened 697 regular international air routes, serving 140 destinations in 74 countries. Its comprehensive strength ranks at the international forefront," said Wang.
Meanwhile, China's civil aviation sector is continuously accelerating the application of new technologies such as 5G and navigation, contributing to a continuous improvement in the efficiency of air navigation services.
China deeply involved in int'l civil aviation management
Foreign diplomats and scholars are looking closely at this year's "two sessions", saying China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) will not only chart the nation's economic and technological priorities but also reshape global value chains.
The fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the nation's top political advisory body, opened on Wednesday, followed by the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC) on Thursday. Together known as the "two sessions," these meetings offer a comprehensive view into China's development priorities.
Global observers emphasized that the 15th Five-Year Plan, a blueprint guiding the nation's economic, social, and technological priorities over the next five years, marks a decisive shift toward high‑quality growth anchored in advanced technologies, with ripple effects across the world.
"The two sessions will discuss China's five-year plan, which is heavily oriented toward China's major technological development. I believe this is important because it represents the new blueprint for China's economy, which is now oriented toward the renowned high-quality development, and this will undoubtedly impact the entire world. I think it is worth studying. This is very important for Latin America. It will help us integrate more intelligently into global value chains and into all aspects of the major development that China is promoting in iconic industrial sectors, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and space development, where Latin America also has much to contribute beyond just commercial growth," said Gustavo Sabino Vaca Narvaja, former Argentine Ambassador to China.
"The two sessions are a major political milestone in China, and this year's gathering carries even greater significance as this year marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan. This plan represents not only a blueprint for China, but also a guide for other countries. Instruments like the five-year plan effectively provide greater certainty and predictability for the rest of the world," said Chilean scholar of international relations Ignacio Araya Heredia.
"This is a particularly important date, especially due to the fact that the next Five-Year Plan shall be positioned and we're going to see what its main elements shall be. Serbia, which has a very high degree of steel friendship with the People's Republic of China, can expect further assistance in identifying the most prominent areas of Serbian economy and being helped by its great partner, such as it has been done in the previous period, from one part with establishing the main infrastructure projects, but also reshaping the industrial sector of Serbia, not just Serbia, but the region as a whole," said Veljko Mijuskovic, assistant professor of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Belgrade.
Beyond the policy framework, experts also pointed to China's achievements in green energy and technological innovation as models worth emulating.
Tomasz Bielinski, adjunct professor at the University of Gdansk's Faculty of Economics, said the robotics displays at the 2026 China Media Group (CMG) Spring Festival Gala reflected China's broader push in technological innovation.
"I was really impressed about the robotics. I'm very impressed with Chinese development in the technological field, we can still make great deals with Chinese businessmen and we can cooperate together to use this technology for both the good of China and the European Union. I'm aware of the innovation especially in autonomous drive on the on the Chinese side," he said.
"We hope for more of China's economic cooperation, especially in trade and also in investment. Also, and the other focus, if I talk about the focus of the development, don't forget about the green energy. We know that China is great in the electric vehicle field. So because China's electric vehicles in Indonesia nowadays, since couple of years ago, are very, very popular," said Al Busyra Basnur, president of the Indonesia-China Friendship Association.
Observers see China's new five-year plan driving high-quality development, global tech shifts
