China to Develop Large Passenger Jets

China is to establish its first jumbo passenger aircraft company by March, as it moves to position itself among countries that are technically capable of manufacturing large jets.

Huang Qiang, secretary general of the Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense, told reporters that a project director and a chief engineer would be appointed by then to make sure "the project goes as planned".

"The project is based on independent innovation. We have the intellectual property right. And also the investors are from diversified fields, which follows the international convention."

He Shengqiang is the chief engineer of Xi'an Aircraft Industry (Group) Company Ltd.

"The manufacturing of large jets is an innovation for the Chinese aeronautical manufacturing. The development of aviation industry will largely promote our nation's manufacturing industry."

It was the latest development of the research project approved in principle by China's Cabinet, the State Council, last February. This was to make the country capable of building aircraft with a take-off weight of more than 100 tons, or planes with more than 150 seats.

Currently, only the United States, Russia, France, Germany, Britain and Spain have the capability to build jumbo aircraft, with Boeing and Airbus taking a lion's share of sales in the international market.