BEIJING - A total of 4.4 million air passenger trips were made in 2013 between China and the United States, according to latest Chinese official data.

Seventeen companies from China and the US carried the passengers and 150,000 tons of freight, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said.

China and US authorities have deepened cooperation as the air transport market grows bigger. On Tuesday and Wednesday, officials from the US Department of Transportation met their CAAC counterparts in Chengdu, Sichuan province, for talks on air transport policy and governance.

Meanwhile, airlines from both countries are competing by launching new routes. On June 10, Air China opened a direct flight from Beijing to Washington, followed by American Airlines' non-stop flights from Dallas to Shanghai and Hong Kong.

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