China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region signed an agreement in Macao on Tuesday to build up a "sister airports" relationship.

The signing was officiated by Deng Jun, chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of Macao International Airport Company Limited, and Dong Zhiyi, general manager of Inner Mongolia Civil Airport Group Company.

Deng Jun said while addressing the signing ceremony that Macao and Inner Mongolia are to seek "a long-term cooperation relationship" in aviation industry to overcome the highly competitive market environment facing both sides.

Dong Zhiyi told the gathering that the sealing of the sister airports deal will hopefully bring benefits to the development of aviation businesses of the two regions.

Some 960,000 passengers and 46,000 tons of airfreight were handled at Macao International Airport in the first quarter of 2005, representing a 24.7-percent and 16.8-percent growth, respectively, over the same period of last year, according to Deng.

Meanwhile, nine airports in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region have connects with over 28 cities in and outside China, said Dong.

The sisterhood cooperation will cover the fields of training, marketing development, management cooperation, passenger and cargo related business.

Edmund Ho Hau Wa, chief executive of the SAR, and Yang Jing, chairman of the government of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, attended the signing ceremony.

(Xinhua News Agency June 1, 2005)