The commercial part of China's largest air show in Zhuhai ended in the rain on Thursday, with a visit from Russia's Security Council secretary, days after the flight of the Russian-made Su-57 stealth jet during his first appearance outside his home country.
Military equipment was on display in the exhibition hall, where Sergei Shoigu was able to view it, state media Global Times reported. The former defense minister is in the country for annual strategic security consultations.
China demonstrated its influence on the world stage by hosting a delegation from Saudi Arabia with its first pavilion at the event, as well as its close ties with Russia, even though that country is isolated from Western nations and their allies in reason for his invasion of Ukraine.
The commercial aviation portion of the show was much smaller than in previous years, allowing military technology to be in the spotlight. Equipment as varied as air defense systems, radars, missiles and aircraft were displayed inside and outside the show.
The show was an opportunity to demonstrate to the public for the first time the Chinese J-35A stealth fighter, while a two-seat model of the J-20 stealth fighter, advanced helicopters, stealth drones and surveillance systems missile defense have also attracted attention.
“It is clear that these developments suggest the continuation of a broad modernization of the capabilities of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in order to defeat the intervention capabilities of the United States and its allies as part of a strategy counter-intervention,” said Malcolm Davis, senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, referring to the People's Liberation Army (PLA). “All of these elements combine to make China’s A2AD more lethal and extend its range.
A2AD is short for Anti-Access/Area Denial, a military strategy aimed at avoiding frontal combat by making it difficult for the enemy to enter the battlefield.
China is the world's fourth-largest arms exporter, according to data released in March by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, but its sales have declined over the past decade due to changing dynamics. geopolitics.
COMMERCIAL AVIATION
On the civil aviation side, the state aircraft manufacturer COMAC announced that Air China was the first customer of its C929 wide-body aircraft. It also renamed its regional aircraft, formerly ARJ21, to the C909 for better brand uniformity.
COMAC did not reveal the number of C929s that national carrier Air China would purchase, nor the expected delivery dates. However, it indicated that Hainan Airlines had placed a firm order for 60 C919 and 40 C909 narrow-body aircraft.
Colorful Guizhou Airlines also signed a purchase agreement for 30 C909 aircraft, of which 20 are firm and the rest are provisional.
State-controlled aerospace company AVIC has unveiled a model of one of its most unusual offerings: a space plane intended to carry cargo to China's space station.
Among foreign participants, Airbus said Chinese certification of its A330neo was going smoothly and the first delivery of the wide-body model to the country could take place in 2025.
Airbus China Chief Executive George Xu said Airbus was “very supportive of free trade” when asked by reporters about the possible market impact of a dispute between the European Union and China over electric vehicles and the prospect of transatlantic conflict after Donald Trump won the US presidential election by pledging to impose widespread tariffs.
Brazilian company Embraer said it sees a role for China in its operations as it works to strengthen its supply chain.
Embraer is the world's third largest aircraft manufacturer and focuses on single-aisle regional and business jets of up to 150 seats, slightly smaller than Airbus and Boeing's best-selling A320 and 737 families and rivaling the A220 of Airbus.
In Zhuhai, its commercial director, Martyn Holmes, indicated that Chinese President Xi Jinping would travel to Brazil for the G20 summit to be held there this month.
“I think it's an exciting time for us to have this (supply chain) conversation with Chinese suppliers and see how we evolve,” Mr Holmes said.
China is Brazil's largest trading partner. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said earlier this year that he wanted to discuss a “long-term strategic partnership” with China.
