The two-day 2007 Aeromart, the biggest event on the global aerospace market, opened on Monday in Beijing.

Successfully held for 12 years in Toulouse, France, this is the first time the convention moved to China.

The Beijing Aeromart is hosted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and French Business Convention International(BCI) Aerospace, with support from Airbus, China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I) and China Aviation Industry Corporation II (AVIC II).

Aeromart gathers a group of decision makers of aviation enterprises worldwide each year for two days of workshops and one-to-one meetings to communicate with each other and to develop business partnerships.

More than 160 international aviation enterprises from 15 countries participated in the Beijing convention, among which nearly 70 are Chinese aviation manufacturers.

"I am confident this convention will be successful in providing opportunities to Chinese aviation enterprises and those from the rest of the world to gain better understanding of the Chinese market and to do business," said Marc Bertiaux, vice president of Airbus.

Participants will also pay site visits to six important aviation industry cities in China, namely Xi'an, Shenyang, Beijing,Harbin, Chengdu and Tianjin, a new assembly site chosen for the A320 airplanes.

The next Aeromart will be held in Montreal, Canada, from April 8 to 9, 2008.

(Xinhua News Agency September 17, 2007)