China must manufacture large, globally competitive aircraft: PM

EXI’AN—“It is the will of the nation to let(Chinese-made) large aircraft fly up into the sky. It must be done and it must succeed,” said Premier Wen Jiabao in a visit to the Xi’an Aircraft Industry (Group) Company on Sunday.
”I believe that the day must come and the dream of many generations of Chinese will come true,” Wen said, while speaking with engineers at the company. It is a major strategic decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council to build large aircraft, said the premier, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau.
Chinese will make large planes that are globally competitive through their own work and wisdom, Wen said. He noted that it was not easy to manufacture large aircraft and China had to make many breakthroughs, especially involving engines, materials and electronic equipment. During his stay in Shaanxi Province, on Dec. 29-30, the premier also visited villagers and urban residents to display his great concern over their lives and production while giving his New Year greetings.
In a visit to some villages, the premier questioned the villagers carefully about wholesale and retail vegetable prices and whether they had received government subsidies for growing grain. He also visited a company and some rural households that are raising pigs or sheep. In 2007, China has seen nationwide price hikes for food — vegetables, edible oil and meat — and the government has made strenuous efforts to stabilize the market.
In May, Wen also paid a visit to study the production and supply of pork, a staple meat for many Chinese. Following his visit, the State Council issued a policy to encourage pig breeding. Recently, the government allocated 2.5 billion yuan (about 340 million U.S. dollars) for developing modern pig farms and doubled the subsidy, to 100 yuan, for breeding a sow. China’s Hong Kong and Finland signed an avoidance of double taxation agreement on income from aircraft operation here on Monday.
The pact, which covers income derived from the operation of aircraft in international traffic, was signed by Eva Cheng, secretary for Transport and Housing of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, and Timo Rajakangas, Finnish Consul-General in Hong Kong. Hong Kong has similar arrangements with Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Ethiopia, Germany, Iceland, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Mauritius, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, the China’s mainland and China’s Macao.The cabin section of China’s first self-designed regional aircraft ARJ21 attracted many visitors on the Asian Aerospace International Expo and Congress 2007 which opened Monday.
China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I), the manufacturer of China’s third generation fighter J10, brings models of its civil aviation products, including turbo-prop regional aircraft MA60 and regional aircraft ARJ21, ARJ21 cabin section and partial products for aero-engine subcontracting, to the 14th presentation of Asia Aerospace International Expo and Congress in Hong Kong. Hu Wenming, AVIC I senior vice president, said, “AVIC I would like to become the world’s top class manufacturer for regional aircraft and top class supplier for commercial aircraft.”
Chen Guanjun, vice president of AVIC I’s Department of Marketing and International Cooperation, said several customers from India, Thailand and other countries had shown great interest in their products on the opening day of the exhibition.
China’s first self-developed regional aircraft ARJ21 completed the specific design and started manufacturing in April 2006. AVIC I and the Lao Airlines signed a Memorandum of Understanding of twoARJ21 jets, which marked a milestone for the exportation of China self-made aircraft.—Xinhua