The Zhuhai Airshow takes place bi-annually in the south of China with the participation of a wide spectrum of Chinese and international aviation companies. The National Exposition in Zhuhai was represented by companies such as Czech General Aircraft, Shark Aero, F AIR pilot school and PBS Velká Bíteš, a manufacturer of turbine engines. 

Among the exhibits, the ultra-light aircraft Shark that has been certified for the Chinese market since 2017, attracted traditionally the greatest attention of visitors. The company Czech General Aircraft presented the Czech-Chinese project developing the D6 aircraft in the province of Sichuan. The F AIR pilot school is successfully continuing the training of Chinese pilots in the Czech Republic, and during the Zhuhai expo signed a three-party agreement on cooperation with the Chinese pilot school CAFUC and Sichuan Airlines. The company PBS Velká Bíteš presented its new models of turbine engines, looking to expand to the Chinese market. 

The modern technology of Czech companies was presented in Zhuhai in the context of the century of the establishment of Czechoslovakia and the long-standing tradition of Czech aviation. The Czech companies were supported at the expo by the presence of Jiří Havlíček, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade. After attending the opening ceremony, the Deputy Minister met with the leadership of the Chinese agency for civil aviation.  The Deputy Minister also participated in two press briefings. 

The presence of Czech aeronautics on the Chinese market has grown substantially in the past years in many areas. Besides the export of ultra-light aircraft, training of pilots, equipping Chinese airports with Czech monitoring techniques and supplying engines, the certification of the well-known Czech L410 aircraft is currently ongoing. A large number of these activities is supported by the long-time economic diplomacy project, the so-called A-Z solutions for Chinese Aeronautics, supporting Czech aviation companies on the Chinese market. The Czech firms’ participation at the Zhuhai fair this year was also financially supported by the “A-Z solutions” project, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic. Further resources were provided by the agency CzechTrade and the Sino-Czech Aviation Association. 

Lukáš Opatrný, Head of Economic Section, Embassy of the Czech Republic in Beijing