CHINA-LEADERSHIP: CHINESE PRESIDENT HAILS DEVELOPMENT OF CHINA'S FIRST MEDIUM-HAUL PASSENGER JET
Reuters (September 30) reported that meeting a delegation of the first C919 aircraft's
developers in the Great Hall of the People on September 30, Chinese President Xi Jinping
hailed the development of China's first medium-haul passenger jet as the embodiment of the
country's drive towards self-sufficiency, with safety approval awarded to a plane that aims to
challenge Western plane giants for high-tech jetliner sales. Xinhua reported him as saying the
flagship development would "accelerate the construction of a manufacturing powerhouse," while stressing that China would put safety first. Xinhua quoted him as telling the developers
and designers that they were the pillars and heroes of the people. Xi Jinping was accompanied
by PBSC members Han Zheng and PB member Liu He.
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