OREANDA-NEWS. December 03, 2013. Earlier this week, Her Excellency Liu Yandong, the Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China met with Rosemarie S. Andolino, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) at O'Hare International Airport. The meeting offered a unique opportunity for them to discuss air service, travel and tourism between Chicago and destinations in China.

Chicago is the first stop on Vice Premier Liu's trip to the United States. During her three-day visit, she met with Mayor Rahm Emanuel, participated in the US-China University President's Roundtable at the University of Chicago and visited After School Matters, a non-profit providing Chicago teenagers with career-based extracurricular activities. Vice Premier Liu's next stops are Washington, D.C. and New York City.

"On behalf of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, we were very honored to host Vice Premier Liu at our global gateway, O'Hare International Airport during her visit to Chicago," said Commissioner Andolino. "It was a great opportunity to continue our dialogue with China about increasing air service, tourism and trade between our world-class city and China's rapidly expanding marketplace."

A Chinese delegation met with Commissioner Andolino and CDA staff during the Airports Going Green conference in Chicago on November 13, 2013.

Commissioner Andolino's meeting with Vice Premier Liu is the latest of many delegation visits and meetings between the Chicago Department of Aviation and officials from China. Last week at the Airports Going Green conference, the CDA hosted a Chinese delegation visiting the U.S. as part of the Sino-US Energy Conservation and Emissions Reduction Training Program.

Airlines at O'Hare including United, American, Hainan and Cathay Pacific currently provide 44 weekly passenger flights to cities in China. Chicago is also the leading national gateway for air exports to China, representing more than 25 percent of the entire market.

The CDA has established Sister Airport agreements with airports in Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Under these agreements, airport authorities in Chicago and China share information and best practices on all aspects of airport operations, while also are seeking to increase air service, business and tourism between their respective cities.