Kenneth Yata, Vice President - Business Development, Boeing China, was honored with China’s 2007 Friendship Award. Yata is the first individual from the aerospace industry of the United States to receive this award for his cumulative contributions to China's aviation industry
beginning from 1985. He was nominated by the China Aviation Industry Corporation I.
Friends in high places
BY
T
Felicity WanG
he Chinese government
recently honored Kenneth Yata, AmChamChina member and
Boeing China’s vice
president of Business Development,
by presenting him with its 2007
Friendship Award. This prestigious
award was created by the China State
Council in 1991 and is awarded annually to foreign professionals who
have made outstanding contributions to China's economic and social
progress. AmCham-China caught
up with Boeing's Kenneth Yata and
asked him about the award, his business dealings in China and his pre-
1 2
|
a m c h a m
c h i n a
b r i e f
|
dictions about the future growth of
Boeing in China.
After receiving the 2007
Friendship Award from the
Chinese government this
September, you were quoted as saying that you are proud of the work
you have done with China and that
you plan to continue your efforts.
When did Boeing start working with
Chinese aviation industry and what
has changed since the early years
of your relationship?
n o v e m b e r
Ties between Boeing and
China began early. In 1916,
2 0 0 7
the year of the company's founding,
William E. Boeing hired Beijing-born
Wong Tsu to design a new seaplane,
the Model C, for the U.S. Navy.
Wong had recently graduated in
aeronautical engineering from Armstrong Technical College in London and
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in Boston and his work with The Boeing Company laid the groundwork for a
generation of early airplanes.
Chinese suppliers have proven
their ability to deliver high quality
products, on time and at competitive
prices. In 2005, Shanghai Aviation
Industrial Corporation (SAIC), which
builds horizontal stabilizers for the
Boeing 737 jetliner, was selected by
Boeing as Supplier of the Year, based
on stringent performance criteria for
quality, on-time delivery and customer satisfaction.
Boeing supports Chinese efforts to
ensure a safe, efficient, and profitable
Chinese aviation system to keep pace
with the country’s rapid economic
growth. Commercial aviation is crucial to China’s economic growth.
Boeing is China’s aviation manufacturing industry’s largest foreign
customer. Since the 1980s, Boeing
has purchased over US$1 billion in
aviation hardware and services from
China. As of today, Boeing and Boeing
supplier partners have active supplier
contracts with China commercial aviation industry valued at $2.5 billion.
What are the issues that
Boeing is concerned with
most when it comes to
You have been working
in China for 12 years and
have witnessed first hand
the development of the aviation
industry. Overall, how have things
changed and what opportunities
do you see here?
When I first came to China,
there were fewer airplanes
and airports, very different
from today. During the past 20 years,
China has faced unique challenges in
developing its infrastructure to permit
continued air transportation growth.
Since 1993, Boeing and CAAC have
worked together on a series of initiatives
supporting the development of China's
aviation infrastructure while improving
safety, reliability, efficiency and increasing capacity, profitability and management skills. Today, China holds one of
the best safety records in the world in
civil aviation transportation.
investing and operating in China?
How has your involve-
Boeing partnerships in China are strategically chosen
for long term benefits to all.
The company works on projects that
help Chinese partners gain technical and manufacturing experience
which enables the delivery of aviation products with superior quality
and value.
The Boeing decision to support
China by providing it with long term
benefits and truly strengthening its
economy and its aviation and aerospace sectors was noted by President
Hu Jintao when he addressed an appreciative audience of workers at the
Boeing Everett, Washington factory,
saying, “Boeing’s cooperation with
China is a vivid example of the mutually beneficial cooperation and winwin outcome that China and the United States have achieved from trading
with each other.”
ment with AmCham-China
ing, flight operations and regulatory
personnel
This is a very good example of
what an important role AmCham
China is able to play in uniting the US
business communities to work together as a team for a shared goal.
Boeing China VP
receives China's
National
Friendship Award
Kenneth Yata, vice president - Business Development, Boeing China,
on September 29 received the 2007
Friendship Award from the Chinese
government. The Friendship Award
was established by the China State
Council in 1991 and is awarded annually to foreign professionals who
have made outstanding contributions to China's economic and social
progress.
contributed to your success in doing business in China?
AmCham-China
provides
not only a network opportunity for the American business community, but also a forum for
Americans engaged in business in
China to work with Chinese and U.S.
government authorities to help foster
constructive commercial relations between the two countries.
For example, the AmCham Aviation Cooperation Program (ACP) is a
joint public-private partnership which
was started in 2004. Boeing has been
a leader in this partnership working
with the U.S. Government, American
aerospace firms and CAAC.
Boeing organizes and invests in
ACP executive management training
for Chinese maintenance, engineer-
n o v e m b e r
“The Friendship Award is an appreciation from China to Boeing for its support for the development of China’s
aviation industry,” said Yata upon receiving the award from Zeng Peiyan,
vice premier of China. “We are proud
of our working together partnership
with China and will continue our efforts in growing together with our customers, partners in China.”
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met with
this year's 50 Friendship Award winners on September 30 to congratulate
and thank them for their contributions
to China's modernization drive. Yata is
the first individual from the U.S. aerospace industry to receive this award,
which is the highest honor given to
non-Chinese professionals working in
the country.
2 0 0 7
|
a m c h a m
c h i n a
b r i e f
|
1 3