The United States expects to reach a "meaningful agreement" with China next month on opening more air routes between the two countries.

"We want to reach meaningful agreement about having full and open liberalisation of aviation," Mary Peters told a gathering of US businesspeople in Beijing. "That is our goal, and I do believe that we can reach a meaningful agreement by May at the next SED (Strategic Economic Dialogue)," she said.

Although a complete "open skies" agreement is the ultimate goal, Peters said any such deal with China would probably be phased in over a period of time, without being specific. The two countries reached an aviation agreement in 2004, which covered an increase in the number of airlines serving US-China routes, an expansion of flights frequency and the establishment of cargo hubs in China by US airlines.

"While the 2004 aviation agreement laid the foundation for this kind of project, much more can and should be done to strengthen our aviation partnership even further," Peters said. She said that currently 16 percent of US-China passenger traffic was being lost to third country airlines due to restrictions. "All sides must recognise that protectionism is not the answer," she said. As an example of how urgent things should be improved, Peters said there was still only an average of 11 daily nonstop passenger flights between the two countries.