Commentary: With int'l debut, China's C919 offers a paradigm of worldwide collaboration

SINGAPORE, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's domestically developed C919 jetliner soared through the Singaporean skies on Sunday, marking its inaugural international showcase and presenting the world with the latest advancement in Chinese high-tech products.

The narrowbody airliner's debut at the Singapore Airshow, the largest in Asia, came after nearly nine months of stable and cost-efficient domestic commercial operation by China Eastern Airlines. More than 1,200 orders have been placed for the jet so far, according to the manufacturer, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC).

Since its inaugural commercial flight from Shanghai to Beijing in May, the C919 has garnered significant global attention, providing a promising alternative to the longstanding duopoly of Airbus and Boeing in the passenger jet market.

Dominated by a few Western companies, the world aircraft manufacturing industry is now facing such challenges as safety problems, supply chains interruptions and repeated delivery delays. China's efforts to innovate and play an active part in the international market will open up new business opportunities for its partners worldwide.

According to a Boeing report released in September, China is set to become the biggest domestic aviation market in the world in the next two decades, accounting for 20 percent of the global airplane demand by 2042, with the vast majority of orders coming in the single-aisle sector.

Surging domestic demand and unremitting efforts to make technological breakthroughs are set to help the C919 airliner establish its brand and win a share in the highly consolidated aircraft market.

Overseas, COMAC has already received orders for the C919 from U.S.-based aircraft lessor GE Capital Aviation Services, Brunei's start-up Gallop Air, Irish lessor AerCap and Thai-registered charter airline City Airways, to name a few.

In this age of globalized mass production, no company or country can produce a commercial jetliner on its own. And they do not have to. Airplane manufacturing industries are a textbook example of companies worldwide working together in this enterprise, often regarded as a crown jewel of manufacturing in modern times. While the C919 has many overseas suppliers, some parts of Boeing and Airbus planes are made in China.

Working hand in hand with customers and suppliers is vital for the success of any manufacturer in an increasingly interconnected world. Even industry rivals such as Boeing and Airbus have extended congratulations to the C919 and embraced the prospect of healthy competition. China is committed to cooperation with companies worldwide in the aviation industry to foster a supportive industrial ecosystem.

At the Changi Exhibition Center in Singapore, more than 1,000 companies and various aircraft and aerobatics teams are showing off their latest technologies and aviation skills in an open, shared space, with anticipation and excitement filling the air.

That spirit of openness and sharing is exactly what is needed in the international arena.