General aviation show to boost sector growth in city

Fair produced 29 deals worth $5.16 billion, drew famed intl teams

The 2017 Guizhou Anshun Aviclub General Aviation Flight Carnival is scheduled to open on Friday and will last through the weekend.

Renowned teams will perform aerial stunts at the airshow in Anshun, Guizhou province in Southwest China, organizers said at a news conference in Beijing in early July.

Among the performers are the Aviclub Wasp team, which is renowned for its stunts of walking on airfoils, a night flight show and aerobatics; Britain's Global Stars team, who made their China debut in Shanghai in 2014; and the Freedom to Fly team from New Zealand, three members of which have each flown more than 10 years.

Also on the agenda are aviation industrial forums, an aircraft display, an industrial exhibition, related tourism and cultural promotions.

"The event will help to boost the growth of the host city's general aviation sector and facilitate the military-civil industrial integration," said Zeng Yongtao, Party chief of Anshun.

Chen Xunhua, mayor of the city, said Anshun has been serving as a key national aviation industry hub and a traditional base of the national defense industry since the 1960s.

Its muscles in traditional military aircraft can be transformed into strength in developing the general aviation industry, local policymakers said.

The city boasts well-established industrial facilities and a wealth of aviation businesses over 50 years of development, ranging from aircraft, engines and components' research and development to production, tests, operation and maintenance, Chen said.

Anshun is home to more than 40 research institutes, manufacturers and service providers in the industry, including Guizhou Aviation Industry Group, an expert in pilotless aircraft.

At a general aviation investment promotional event in early March, 29 deals worth a total of 34.95 billion yuan ($5.16 billion) were signed with Anshun, covering advanced machinery manufacturing, aircraft component processing, and development of an industrial park.

"Advancing military-civil industrial integration is key to upgrading Anshun's industries and accelerating its development," Zeng said.

The city's goal is to foster an industrial cluster of leading-edge machines and equipment manufacturers with a focus on the aviation sector, with its military-civil integrated industries estimated to grow more than 25 percent a year on average to 50 billion yuan during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20).

Anshun was designated one of the four national high-tech industrial centers focusing on the civil aviation industry by the National Development and Reform Commission in 2008. The NDRc also included it among the 26 national comprehensive demonstration areas for general aviation last year.

"We have an advantageous geographic location and a widespread transportation network, as well as natural beauty," Chen said.

In addition to expressways and highways running through the city, Anshun offers scheduled flight services via more than 10 routes to major cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Shenzhen.

Its waterways provide easy access to the Peal River and ocean routes. Also, the high-speed railway linking China's commercial and financial hub Shanghai and Kunming, capital of Yunnan province in Southwest China, passes through the city.

Home to 43 ethnic groups, which account for approximately 39 percent of the city's total population, Anshun is famed as a popular holiday resort. Its attractions include the Huangguoshu Waterfall, the province's top sightseeing spot, and Dragon Palace, which features karst caves, underground waterfalls and serene rural scenery.

zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/19/2017 page24)