Track China’s ambitious aerospace advancements, from the home-grown commercial aircraft to space exploration, and their global impact.

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Robots carry out operations in the body shop of the FAW-Volkswagen production based in Qingdao, eastern Shandong province, on February 19. Photo: AFP
Robotics

Made in China 2025: how the country achieved its goals 10 years on

Is China a leader in aeronautics and robotics? What role did the government play in their success? SCMP editors answer questions about Made in China 2025.

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China’s C919 passenger plane

Can China’s bet on home-grown jumbo jets challenge the Airbus-Boeing duopoly?

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Science

Power unit for China’s future space missions passes key orbital tests

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Science

Chinese scientist duo recognised for work in search for space-time ripples

Liu Kuo and Chen Siyuan were part of multinational group that won Royal Astronomical Society award for work on nanohertz gravitational waves.

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Nanohertz gravitational waves are extremely low-frequency, with wavelengths spanning several light years. These waves are thought to originate from supermassive black hole binaries, cosmic phase transitions in the early universe, and oscillations of cosmic strings. Photo: NANOGrav
Nanohertz gravitational waves are extremely low-frequency, with wavelengths spanning several light years. These waves are thought to originate from supermassive black hole binaries, cosmic phase transitions in the early universe, and oscillations of cosmic strings. Photo: NANOGrav
China’s C919 passenger plane

China’s C919 to benefit as Beijing bankrolls ‘large aircraft’ research

Capital grant funding will be doled out to worthy applicants as China rallies nation’s engineering brainpower to boost indigenous tech for home-grown planes.

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China’s C919 passenger plane

Starting with Hong Kong, China’s C919 jet set to spread wings in Asia next year

Landing in city on first day of new year will mark start of daily return service from Shanghai.

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China technology

Nowhere to go but up: China’s farming drones take root as industry grows

Though some overseas governments are sceptical, China’s agricultural drones are blanketing countrysides as farmers begin to automate.

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Drones are being used with greater frequency in China for agricultural purposes, providing a new route for meeting major economic targets. Photo: Xinhua
Drones are being used with greater frequency in China for agricultural purposes, providing a new route for meeting major economic targets. Photo: Xinhua
DJI

Chinese drone maker DJI plans global headquarters in Shenzhen’s new city centre

DJI is seeking to acquire a 15,658-square-metre plot inside the Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters Base.

China airliners

China’s C919 preps for busy 2025 as manufacturer makes expansion plans

With an extensive backlog of orders, China’s premier planemaker is boosting its production capacity to rev up output for the new year.

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China airliners

China’s C919 jet faces key test as it spreads its wings to 10 major cities

The Chinese passenger aircraft is now flying to 10 major cities as it seeks to convince Western regulators of its reliability.

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China’s homegrown C919 jetliner receives a water salute as it arrives in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou in August. Photo: Getty Images
China technology

How will new SMS partnership add to BeiDou’s Chinese user base?

China Telecom working with phone manufacturers to enable its 423 million mobile users to connect via satellites.

Women look at their phones near a display of planets from the solar system in Beijing on November 19. Photo: AP
Women look at their phones near a display of planets from the solar system in Beijing on November 19. Photo: AP
DJI

Chinese drone maker DJI fights to shake off ‘military’ tag

DJI was featured in a video published by The Financial Times on November 22, titled ‘Should the US ban Chinese drones’.

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China manufacturing

With more than 10,000 ‘little giants’, China beats 2025 goal amid US tech war

China set a goal of cultivating 10,000 so-called ‘little giant’ firms by 2025 amid increasing tech competition with the US.

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China technology

Chinese drone prepped for mass production as demand for aerial deliveries soars

A Chinese company is preparing to fill 1 billion yuan in orders for its new drone as the ‘low-altitude economy’ gains momentum.

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The Lanying R6000 aircraft, produced by United Aircraft of Shenzhen, is the latest example of advances Chinese companies have made to seize on what has been termed the “low-altitude economy”. Photo: Xinhua
China technology

China’s next-gen BeiDou satellite system to ramp up rivalry with US-based GPS

Existing BeiDou system, used in telecommunications, transport, and natural resource management, has also been expanding its use in developing countries.

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A model of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System is displayed at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition. Photo: AP
A model of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System is displayed at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition. Photo: AP
Low-altitude economy

Why is demand for drone pilots soaring in China?

Training programmes becoming increasingly popular as more job opportunities open up for UAV operators.

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China airliners

With China’s C919 flying high, factory visits aim to replicate Boeing’s success

Taking a page out of rivals’ playbooks, China’s Comac wants to turn its Shanghai plane factory into a tourism hotspot.

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Shenzhen

Shenzhen’s soaring R&D spending rivals Beijing, dwarfs Hong Kong

The southern city put nearly US$31 billion into R&D last year, driven partly by robust spending from tech giants like Huawei.

Shenzhen is China’s second-largest R&D hub by expenditure. Photo: Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Shenzhen is China’s second-largest R&D hub by expenditure. Photo: Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images
China airliners

US, European plane-part giants aspire to power China’s widebody C929 ambitions

China is on a path toward self-sufficiency, but advanced plane parts from overseas remain essential to its aviation dreams.

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China airliners

China’s widebody C929 jet lands first buyer at top-flight Zhuhai air show

The home-grown C929, still under development, was the subject of a preliminary purchase agreement at China’s premier air show.

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US-China tech war

Musk’s SpaceX asks Taiwanese suppliers to move production abroad

The US company has requested multiple satellite component manufacturers to produce outside Taiwan, sources say.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from lthe Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Photo: Reuters
China’s C919 passenger plane

C919 tour gives students a glimpse of China’s ‘road to take-off’

Students shown the final assembly of China’s C919 home-grown passenger jet as its manufacturing base in Shanghai.

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A tour group during a tour of the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China’s manufacturing base in Pudong. Photo: Mandy Zuo
A tour group during a tour of the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China’s manufacturing base in Pudong. Photo: Mandy Zuo
China's economic recovery

Why are international airlines cutting flights to China?

Fewer flights to China by Western airlines seen as a reflection of reduced demand for business travel amid economic slowdown.

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SpaceX

SpaceX ‘chopsticks’ catch megarocket booster after test flight

In an engineering feat, mechanical SpaceX arms catch Starship rocket booster back at the launch pad.

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China’s C919 passenger plane

Mentor or rival? China takes notes from Brazilian giant Embraer as C919 soars

Aviation exchanges are expected as President Xi Jinping visits Brazil next month.

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The first C919 owned by China Southern Airlines arrives at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong province. Photo: Xinhua
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