The awarding ceremony of Boeing's five new suppliers at the China-Boeing Aviation Industrial Cooperation Forum 2018 held in Zhoushan on Nov 1 [Photo/ zj.zjol.com]

US aviation giant Boeing sought to deepen its cooperation with China by holding its supplier conference in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province, on Nov 1. 

The China-Boeing Aviation Industrial Cooperation Forum 2018 marked the first time that Boeing has held its supplier conference in China, and also the first time that Zhejiang province has hosted an international aviation matchmaking meeting.

Over 400 guests from home and abroad, including government officials from national, provincial and Zhoushan authorities, as well as 62 Boeing suppliers discussed mutual cooperation and the future development of the aviation industry at the forum.

Xiao Guangzhong, vice general manager of AVIC Logistics, noted that "China has a huge aviation market, and Zhoushan enjoys a bright future in this field for its advantageous location against other domestic cities, despite its aviation industry being in the start-up stage currently." 

Statistics unveiled at the forum show that 50 percent of China's civil aircrafts come from Boeing, and over 9,000 Boeing aircrafts have used China-made parts.

Meanwhile, 30 percent of Boeing aircrafts were delivered to China in 2017, and it is expected that over 7,600 new aircrafts worth 1.2 trillion dollars will be needed in the nation in the next two decades. 

Boeing's cooperation with China started in 2003 when the first memorandum of understanding on aviation industrial cooperation was inked between the two sides. 

It moved on to partner with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) in November, 2015, and decided to build the Boeing 737 Completion and Delivery Center in Zhoushan a year later, the construction of which started last May. 

Cheng Fubo, vice general manager of COMAC, believed that the Boeing 737 project "creates an important opportunity for Zhejiang to drive its innovation-driven development and high-end manufacturing, and lays a good foundation for Sino-America aviation industrial cooperation."

John Bruns, president of Boeing China, added that the project was Boeing's largest overseas project, and that it would serve as a good model of Sino-America cooperation.