China plans to reach more reciprocal airworthiness agreements with American and European authorities by the end of 2017, a move that has been interpreted by experts as preparation for the country’s large passenger jet, the C919, to enter those markets.

“We have been negotiating with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for over three years, and the negotiations are still ongoing. We hope new accords regarding airworthiness can be achieved by the end of this year,” Wang Jingling, deputy director general of airworthiness plans at the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), told Caixin.com. She also noted that the new accords will be more open and reciprocal than previous ones.

Airworthiness is the measure of an aircraft’s suitability for safe flight. According to the Bilateral Airworthiness Agreement (BAA) signed by China and the U.S. in 1991, China must approve the design type of aeronautical products for which U.S. authorities have already conferred certification, but the U.S. approves Chinese aircraft only when U.S. authorities determine that the "airworthiness system" of Chinese designs is similar to that of American counterparts, and is capable of producing equivalent results.

Under the existing BAA, the FAA only accepts Chinese aircraft that are manufactured in compliance with China Civil Aviation Regulations (CCAR)-23 certification for small-category aircraft, a rule that is incompatible with Part 23 of U.S. Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR). Such strict procedures have hindered the access of Chinese aircraft to the international aviation market, as many domestic products have been unable to receive U.S. certification.

According to Wang, the same problem also exists in Europe, which makes it hard for Chinese aircraft to enter the market there.

“China has invested experts, equipment and resources in its civil aviation industry, establishing a relatively complete system. New and reciprocal airworthiness agreements with the U.S. and Europe will help Chinese aircraft to enter the markets of more developed countries without complicated and repetitive application procedures,” said Pang Zhen, vice president of the commercial aircraft department of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

Experts noted that the new agreements could pave the road for the C919, China’s largest domestically designed and manufactured commercial airliner, to break the current duopoly of Airbus and Boeing.