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The fast-growing Chinese aviation market has caught the attention of foreign manufacturers, whose eagerness to enter China was seen at the Zhuhai Airshow, which ended recently.

Global aviation giants Boeing and Airbus took part in the four-day airshow for the fourth time. Airbus announced its plan to use the Nanjing Shipyard, which builds colossal vessels, to transport parts for building its largest airplane, the A380. It also signed contracts with Chinese partners to further enhance cooperation.

"We have no choice but to enlarge our market shares in China. The A380 plane is also aimed at the growing Asian market, which includes China. We will probably occupy half of the market soon," Guy Mcleod, president of Airbus China, said in an interview with Xinhua.

China's air transportation market will expand at a rate of 7.6 percent annually. In a decade from 2002 to 2021, China will need 1,912 new planes, with their cost reaching 165 billion US dollars, as it becomes the second aviation market next to the United States, according to Boeing's prediction.

The country's aviation industry is also favored by prestigious foreign firms. During the airshow, simulator manufacturers CAE and China Southern Airlines signed a 29.8 million US dollar contract to build a pilot training center in China.

The German MTU engine maintenance firm completed construction on a joint venture company here.

Rolls-Royce, Bombardier and General Electric also showed their strong confidence in China at the airshow.

Adapting to the requirements after entering the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Chinese government will open up to the outside world in the aviation and aerospace industry, encourage and support Chinese enterprises to actively develop both domestic and overseas markets and make full use of resources from home and abroad to raise their competitiveness, said Sun Laiyan, secretary-general of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.