Russia, China: A Joint Aviation Venture?

Russia hopes to conclude talks with Chinese manufacturers by 2009 on a possible $6.5 billion joint venture to build 150-seat Yakovlev/Ilyushin MS-21 passenger airplanes, according to Alexei Fyodorov, chief of Russia's state-owned United Aircraft Building Corp. Russia's ailing civil aviation industry faces immense challenges in manufacturing at home and is therefore attempting to link up with China's budding industry, which at the moment has the advantage.