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Aerospace: Industry Trends

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Aerospace: Industry Trends
Track China’s ambitious aerospace advancements, from the home-grown commercial aircraft to space exploration, and their global impact.
The Long March-10B rocket booster is safely recovered in the South China Sea on Friday. Photo: Xinhua
Science

China used a giant net to land a reusable rocket. Does the idea have legs?

It’s an unconventional approach that has sparked debate over how it stacks up against America’s landing-leg system.

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China’s private sector

One giant leap for the state: how China’s aerospace model differs from SpaceX

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China shipbuilding

China’s historic sea-based rocket recovery puts spotlight on local shipbuilder

European Union

Opinion | EU isn’t just selling aircraft to China. It’s helping strengthen a competitor

China Eastern’s multibillion-dollar Airbus orders, after EU delays on certifying Chinese planes, show not inconsistency but leverage towards a long-term goal.

Airbus’ second final assembly line for A320 family aircraft in Tianjin, China, on October 22. Photo: Xinhua
Science

Long March-10B: China’s net-capture rocket joins space race with edge on SpaceX

Soon after launch, the first stage of the rocket returned vertically and was recovered via a sea platform, state media says.

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Science

China conducts ground test of hypersonic ramjet that can change shape in flight

The graphite seal used in the Chinese breakthrough is the same one the US defence industry desperately needs.

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China airliners

China Eastern buys 25 A330neo widebody jets as interest rises in Airbus’ wings

Multibillion-dollar deal marks first Chinese widebody win for the planemaker since 2025, following high-level visits from Paris and Berlin.

An Airbus A330 aircraft operated by China Eastern Airlines is seen on final approach into London. Photo: Getty Images
China travel

China’s private-jet market finally pulling out of post-pandemic nosedive: source

Years-long liquidation of corporate fleets appears to be ending, aviation firm data shows, with a strategic pivot in who navigates the nation’s skies.

China’s C919 passenger plane

China’s first C919s get critical ‘C-checks’ as European regulators watch

The first deep-level maintenance of Comac’s narrowbody jet is expected to provide the data needed to prove the aircraft’s long-term durability to global inspectors.

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China airliners

Air China C909 hits bird as Chinese jets face growing ‘real-world’ tests

Wildlife strike in Beijing caught on video near popular vantage point, illustrating how rising flight volumes expose Comac’s fleet of jets to more operational risks.

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A suspected bird strike on a Chinese-made C909 regional jet in Beijing reportedly left some marks on its nose and airframe, but experts said the likelihood of any severe damage was very low. Photo: handout
China’s C919 passenger plane

China’s C919 jet poised to tackle ageing domestic fleet: industry official

High maintenance and fuel costs squeeze Chinese airlines as replacement rates lag, while Comac’s home-grown model seen as buffer against supply-chain hurdles.

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Several Air China passenger jets are seen at Beijing Capital International Airport in March 2020. Since that year, the number of aircraft over 20 years old has outpaced new deliveries in China. Photo: AFP
China airliners

China widens repair network for C919, C909 jets to outfly supply disruptions

China’s home-grown jets will be able to stay in the air for longer as maintenance centres open on the mainland, some with Hong Kong servicers.

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China airliners

Why China’s C909 jet is rapidly being deployed in Xinjiang

The Chinese-made jet debuted in Xinjiang as recently as 2023, but is now being used on more than 120 routes in the region.

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Technology

Opinion | For SpaceX, global dominance may not be written in the stars

Space is not an ordinary, commercial, open market but a strategic domain tied directly to sovereignty, security and industrial policy.

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The SpaceX Starship and super heavy booster creates sound waves as it lifts off on its 12th test flight from the SpaceX launch complex in Starbase, Texas, US, on May 22. Photo: Reuters
Science

Will the future world order be determined by who controls low Earth orbit?

Amid Starlink’s ability to service conflict zones, Chinese article warns of ‘new form of power’ to allow or cut connectivity in real time.

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Starlink was rolled out in Ukraine in 2022 to replace internet and communication networks damaged by Russia’s invasion of the country, quickly becoming a critical tool for both civilian and military connectivity. Photo: Shutterstock
China economy

Opinion | Engine dilemma lies at heart of successful take-off for China’s C919

Launching the aircraft with the imported LEAP-1C engine has led to bottlenecks and dependence but developing a convincing home-made engine will take time.

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Hong Kong politics

Opinion | How markets will test Hong Kong’s new economic model

Industrial policy can guide and catalyse but it cannot substitute for a genuine competitive advantage.

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IPO

Countdown starts for Chinese rocket maker CAS Space’s Shanghai listing

China’s commercial rocket champion plans to raise US$600 million on the Star Market after its listing application is accepted.

CAS Space’s Lijian-2 Y1 rocket with three satellites onboard blasts off from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone in northwest China, on March 30, 2026. Photo: Xinhua
Science

Is China’s commercial rocket now cheaper than Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9?

Using the measure of cost per kilogram of payload capacity, CAS Space compares its Kinetica-2 to a US reusable rocket.

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China airliners

China’s 5-year jet goals target C919 output, a new engine and less reliance

Amid geopolitical risks and supply-chain disruptions, Beijing is looking to shore up self-sufficiency in aircraft components, and an analyst says it has its work cut out.

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Aviation

Helicopter travel takes off in China during Spring Festival rush

Helicopter services boomed during the Chinese New Year, offering fast travel and new routes across different cities.

Demand for helicopter flights surged during China’s Spring Festival. Photo: Handout
China airliners

China’s C909 jet gets international uplift with funding for adoptive airline

Chengdu Airlines, an affiliate of C909 manufacturer Comac, has received a capital injection to help widen the jet’s international coverage.

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Lao Airlines, the flag carrier of Laos, has added the Comac C909 regional jet to its fleet. Photo: CCTV
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Hong Kong’s budget should move the city towards ‘inspirational’ development

The 2026-27 budget speech should explain how the city’s economic direction aligns with global and national trends, defining its place in the industries of the future.

China's space programme

Editorial | Hong Kong need not wait to help Chinese space ambitions take off

As a leading hub for finance and law, the city has the ‘right stuff’ to be proactive in drawing up solid action plans for the space economy.

China airliners

New brainer: China’s C929 widebody lands partner to power next-gen flight mind

After Comac secures core flight-system supplier for its widebody jet’s ‘brain’, sourcing the ‘heart’ of the C929 remains a lofty challenge.

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A model of China’s in-development C929 aircraft is displayed at the Singapore Airshow on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
China's space programme

Opinion | As China opens up its space sector, Hong Kong should reach for the stars

With deep capital markets and globally aligned legal practices, the city can support a competitive Chinese space programme that shapes global standards.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China airliners

Exclusive | China’s widebody C929 may take off ahead of schedule, sources say

Maker of the home-grown rival to Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 is working directly with regulators, which analysts said could speed up certification.

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Artificial intelligence

Alibaba’s Qwen-3 becomes one of world’s first AI models to operate in orbit

The entire Qwen-3 process – from uploading queries to on-orbit inference and sending results back to Earth – took less than two minutes.

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