At the heart of the EU-China APP is the call for closer cooperation between the EU and China at an official and authority level and the linking of technical cooperation with policy dialogue. This is reflected in the project's objective of strengthening the economic partnership between the EU and China in the civil aviation domain. The project incorporates the idea of a close cooperation between EASA and various European project partners to bring best European aviation expertise to the project. Likewise on the Chinese side the project will interact with several Chinese stakeholders coordinated by CAAC.

This new approach of cooperation will focus on activities of mutual interest. In particular, seven areas of cooperation have been defined:
1.Regulatory dialogue on safety,
2.General aviation,
3.ATM/ANS and airports,
4.Airworthiness,
5.Environmental protection, and
6.Economic policy and regulation.
7.Aviation Safety and Security
8.Legislation and law enforcement