Chinese Vice Premier Huang Ju (R) meets with visiting US Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta in Beijing, July 24, 2004. (Xinha Photo)

    BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhuanet)-- Chinese Vice-Premier Huang Ju met here Saturday with the visiting US Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta.

    Huang, also standing committee member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, highly valued the role that the transportation departments of the two countries have played in promoting Sino-US economic and trade relations.

    He said he appreciated that the Sino-US maritime agreement has taken effect and the cooperative projects within the memo of cooperation on transportation, science and technology have been launched.

    He said he hoped the two departments can further their exchanges and cooperation so as to create a better transportation system for the economic and trade development and to promote the healthy development of domestic economy.

    Mineta also signed an agreement on aviation with Yang Yuanyuan,director of the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China to expand flights in the booming market between the two countries and drop most restrictions on each other's airlines.

    Mineta said this lays foundation for strong development of bilateral relations. Enditem