Liberalizing air transport regulation in the People's Republic of China

Through a comparative study of the aviation policies in the principal countries of North America (the United States) and Europe (Germany), this thesis will examine China's aviation policy and its situation in the trend toward liberalization, placing special emphasis on bilateral agreements.; This thesis will describe the historic evolution of the economic regulation in civil air transport that laid the foundation for bilateral air transport service agreements and the Open Skies regime. Moreover, the development of bilateral air services agreements, from the Bermuda Agreements to the U.S.'s "Open Skies" Policy, is addressed. Then, a study of the ICAO actions toward liberalization is undertaken.; An analysis from the deregulation, privatization in the American and E.U.'s aviation market to the reform in the Chinese civil aviation is conducted. Under the impact of the global liberalization trend, the Chinese aviation industry is creating a "deepen, widen" reform. Specifically, China Southern's imminent entrance into SkyTeam will significantly push the Chinese aviation policy toward liberalization. A detailed comparative study of bilateral air transport agreements between China, the United States, and Germany will show the recent progress of the Chinese aviation policy.; Finally, an argument for the separation of air cargo from air passengers in the liberalization process, especially for China's negotiation of bilateral agreements, is presented.