The production of China's independently developed AG600 large amphibious firefighting aircraft is progressing smoothly as the aircraft on Sunday obtained its type certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in Beijing.
The certificate acquisition marks the successful development of AG600 and its approval to enter the market.
Located in Jinwan District of southern coastal city of Zhuhai, the birthplace of AG600 is the only special large aircraft production line in China that is open to the public.
The general assembly line of AG600 also serves as a national patriotism education demonstration base, with three exhibition areas of aviation culture, assembly production, and science popularization and research.
"The entire final assembly production line of the AG600 aircraft consists of six stations. When we say 'station,' we actually mean the workstation where the aircraft is being assembled. The station we are currently at is what we call Station 51, which is the major fuselage assembly station. The main task here is to join the forward fuselage, the center fuselage, the aft fuselage, as well as the wings and the vertical and horizontal stabilizers. The primary structural work is completed here and we can also describe it as building the entire skeleton of the aircraft. The station we see now is called Station 41, which is the system installation and debugging station. If we compare the aircraft to the human body, then Station 51 is like building the skeleton, while Station 41 is equivalent to installing the blood vessels and nervous systems," said Ma Jianming, head of AG600 general assembly line of South China Aircraft Industry Co., Ltd under China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA).
Apart from the Station 51 and 41, the factory also has Station 52 for fuselage prefabrication, Station 53 for left and right outer wing automated docking, Station 54 for vertical tail docking, and Station 31 for full aircraft joint debugging and testing, according to Ma.
The entire factory operates as a station-based pulse production line, built on principles of digitalization, informatization, modularization, and flexibility. It features a fully automated docking and posture measurement system. According to Ma, the production line is capable of assembling over 10 AG600 aircrafts per year, with capacity that can be scaled up at any time based on demand.
"When the aircraft moves from one station to the next, it follows a fixed rhythm, for example, shifting forward once every 50 days. In this way, we can vividly see that it 'pulses' with each movement. Essentially, a pulse production line means that the aircraft progresses through the line at a steady and predetermined pace," he said.
China's AG600 amphibious aircraft production progresses smoothly following certification
Global business leaders gathering in Beijing for the China Development Forum 2026 said that they remain optimistic about China's role as a key driver of growth and are committed to deepening their presence in the Chinese market.
Themed "China in its 15th Five-Year Plan period: advancing high-quality development and creating new opportunities together", the two-day forum, which kicked off on Sunday, highlighted China as a key engine of global development as the country begins its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030).
Patrick Pouyanne, chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies, a French energy giant, acknowledged the growing barriers in global energy cooperation, but stressed that both China and Europe share a common path toward green energy.
"We have observed more barriers, in fact, we see a lot of, I would say, non-cooperative attitude, I am still convinced, in particular, in the field of energy. But in fact, both China and Europe have exactly the same strategy, which is going to more green energy, which is a way to combine security with supply and China is leading the way," he said.
Philippe Delorme, president and CEO of KONE Corporation, a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, said that Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo's visit to China from January 25 to 28 has reinforced trust, mirroring the strong relationships KONE has built with its Chinese partners.
"Prime Minister Orpo went to China to reinforce the trust that has been built over time, which is actually very parallel to the trust that KONE has been building with the China-based ecosystem and its customers," he said.
Judy Marks, CEO and president of American elevator maker Otis emphasized the company's strong commitment to China, highlighting the access and enthusiasm she experiences on every visit.
"Well, every time I come to China, my agenda is packed, and I want it that way. I want to see our colleagues, I want to see our business partners, I want to see government officials. And guess what, in China, every time we have that access. It's always an exciting time in China. We're investing and we're here to stay," she said.
Rogier Janssens, president of Merck China, talked about his professional journey of returning to China, drawn by the country's rapid pace of development and the opportunities he sees unfolding.
"I am not new to China. I'm also not new to Merck. I ran the healthcare business for Merck between '17 and '22 out of Beijing. It's interesting. Actually, at some point in time, I was thinking about after 35 years of working in the pharmaceutical industry, I thought maybe I needed to slow down a little bit and take it easy. Maybe I'd take a job at the headquarters or something like that. But in reality, I thought no. There needs to be a bit more excitement and I'm super excited about what I'm seeing and hearing. I mean the speed of China, the way things are development so rapidly here," he said.
Since its inception in 2000, the China Development Forum has become one of the country's major platforms for dialog among Chinese government officials, global business leaders, international organizations, and scholars.
Global business leaders express confidence in China's market
