AIRWAYS SPECIAL China & Taiwan
4
But China ’ s reach extends beyond its borders . It is common to see at least one Chinese city — typically Beijing or Shanghai — in the route network of each European airline .
All of this makes China one of the most profitable and influential aviation markets in the world , and its government has exploited the related clout on many occasions .
5
The People ’ s Republic of China has never been a powerhouse of aircraft manufacturing . Its first domestically produced airframe made its first flight in 1923 , almost two decades after the Wright Brothers , and no significantly successful projects were developed for the remainder of the century .
This can probably be attributed to the country ’ s very unstable and isolated 20th Century evolution . While commercial flying took hold in the Western Hemisphere , China was still in its pre-industrial stage , dependent on agriculture and textiles and embroiled in a civil war .
6
The Chinese Civil War lasted from 1927 to 1949 and , when it ended , the massive nation of China was claimed by two different governments : the communist People ’ s Republic of China ( PRC ), in control of the mainland , and the free-enterprise Republic of China ( ROC ), which held out on the island of Taiwan .
www . airwaysmag . com AIRWAYS MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2024 59