BEIJING — Chinese manufacturer Casic will set up a factory to manufacture composite parts, including some for the C919 airliner, underlining the ambitions of the space and missile specialist to build up a civil aeronautics business. The factory, to be built at Zhejiang in eastern China, will focus on the development and manufacturing of composites, international aeronautics subcontracting, and military-civil dual-use production, says the local government.

Taiwan’s AIDC in November will begin trial production at a new composites plant on which it is staking its future as a supplier to global civil aerospace programs. In building the plant, the state-owned manufacturer is undertaking a broad push to upgrade its technology and to prepare to build larger composite parts. Its key market is programs for civil aircraft with up to 100 seats.

Imminent deregulation of China’s low-altitude airspace will help secure the future of the country’s rapidly growing business aviation sector. Opening up the skies for small general aviation aircraft should result in building of the small airports that business aviation will need in the coming years.