China should independently develop civil aircraft since "real core and key technologies can not be purchased" from world market, said Liu Gaozhuo, general manager of the China Aviation Industry Corporation I, one of China's top two aero-makers.
   
"We must strive to increase our capacity for scientific innovation," said Liu, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which is holding its annual session in Beijing.
   
China used to have a cooperation plan with the McDonnell Douglas Corporation (MDC) to assemble MD82 and MD90 passenger planes, aiming to raise the country's R&D capability in this sector, but the scheme aborted after MDC merged with Boeing, Liu said.
   
"We have made a lot of efforts in the cooperation project," he said, "It cost us dearly".
   
"Experience shows that any country that hopes to develop civil aircraft must adhere to the path of independent innovation by relying on its own intellectual property rights," he said.
   
Liu suggested that China's civil aircraft industry can follow the example of military aircraft development and he attributed the success of China's military aircraft to adherence to the path of innovation.

(Xinhua News Agency March 9, 2006)