Premier Wen Jiabao said the mainland should build 'big aircraft' that are competitive around the world, adding credence to the mainland's ambition in the area of aviation manufacturing.
Just hours after he played baseball with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in Beijing on Saturday, the premier was seen chatting with staff at the Xian Aircraft Industry (Group) Company and touring a couple of villages, inspecting pig and dairy-goat farms in Xian, Shaanxi province, footage of which was broadcast by CCTV last night.
The mainland hopes to challenge the dominance of Boeing and Airbus in the local market by developing its own aircraft.
'To build big aircraft by our own efforts is a big decision made by the party and the State Council. I mean we have to use our own hands and wisdom to build big aircraft that could be competitive in the world,' Mr Wen said during a visit to the aircraft company.
The premier's visit came about a week after China Aviation Industry Corp completed production of a domestically designed regional jet, ARJ-21 (or Advanced Regional Jet for the 21st Century), in Shanghai.
Planes in the ARJ21 family will be able to seat 70 to 100 people, but the mainland hopes to build larger aircraft, initially comparable with the Boeing 737 or the Airbus 320.