China's rise in the aerospace sector: development policies

Abstract

Innovation and agility in product development by space companies have always been in evidence, however, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it accelerated. Several companies around the world have made different equipment available to the population, both in terms of ventilatory assistance and related to environmental and social changes. The space sector, technology-intensive, can contribute to the development of several sectors, such as agriculture, environment and electronics. The Chinese government, always concerned with development and innovation policies, has created policies and strategies for industries over the years, so while these policies were successful, it was possible to observe an acceleration in production, employment and international trade. Therefore, the study aims to analyze the development policies of the Chinese space and aviation industry from the 50s to the present day, with the “Made in China 2025” (MIC25) and the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25). The study revealed that China has made great strides in the space sector, becoming one of the top three countries that dominate this segment. Different situation when it comes to commercial aircraft, thanks to the late development of these industries. On the other hand, the aerospace sector in China as a whole is strongly national and has been gaining more and more relevance through ambitious development plans, both in technological innovation and in the provision of financial resources, in order to, among other things, overcome the deficit in the trade balance of products with high technological intensity in the sector.