Vice-Premier Ma Kai addressed a ceremony for the debut of the amphibious aircraft AG600 on Dec 24 in Zhuhai city of Guangdong province, which is hailed as the biggest of its kind, featuring the ability to extinguish forest fires and undertake maritime search and rescue missions.

Ma Kai stated that the maiden flight of AG600, after the J-20 stealth fighter and COMAC C919, marked another momentous milestone in the trajectory of the development of China’s aviation industry.

The Aviation Industry Corp of China, which took the most credit for the AG600, developed China’s own technology system of research and development in designing amphibious planes qualifying for independent intellectual rights protection, said Ma.

Ma noted that the debut of AG600 also kick-started a new chapter for the development of China’s aviation industry against the backdrop of an all-around supply-side structural reform. More efforts are urgently needed to enhance technology and innovation and expand the market in a bid to enable more high-quality amphibious aircraft to come into existence.