China Aviation Industry Corporation II (AVIC II) hopes to expand its cooperation with Pakistan in helicopter manufacturing, AVIC II general manager Zhang Hongbiao said on Saturday.

The cooperation between AVIC II and Pakistan has lasted 21 years and will extend from joint research and development to aircraft maintenance, said Zhang on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia in south China's Hainan Province.

AVIC II set up a repair line in Pakistan in February for the K8 training plane, which was jointly developed by the aircraft maker's subsidiary in east China's Jiangxi Province and a Pakistani company.

Zhang said helicopter manufacturing is AVIC II's forte and core business, but the company also looks forward to cooperating with Pakistani companies in making cars and wind-driven generators.

"The prospects of the Pakistani market are good," Zhang said.

A leading aircraft maker in China, AVIC II has produced 6,520 aircraft, 23,800 aero-engines, and about a million cars over the past 50 years, according to the company website.

(Xinhua News Agency April 22, 2007)