China expects to start making homegrown large commercial aircraft by 2020, an aviation industry official said Monday, raising the possibility of future competition for Boeing and Airbus in the countrys booming market for new planes.

The ambitious target points to rising confidence among officials and the government-funded aircraft industry following apparent success in developing Chinas first commercial jet aircraft, the mid-size ARJ-21 regional jet, the first of which is due to fly next year.

With China expected to buy 2,230 new planes between now and 2025, the government has fast-tracked development plans to ensure that its own companies grab a share.

The large aircraft project is underpinned by Chinas strong economic growth, technology advances, and brawny manufacturing base, Liu Daxiang, of China Aviation Industry Corporation I, or AVIC I, was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency.

We are now fairly well conditioned for making large aircraft, said Liu, deputy head of the companys science and technology development department, and a delegate to the national legislature meeting this month in Beijing.

Chinas aviation ambitions have stumbled along for decades, but experts said the latest plan appeared to be plausible given the technological prowess China has gained from building parts for foreign makers. An agreement with Airbus to open a final assembly line in China for its mid-size A320 aircraft will be particularly advantageous, they said.

From a technical standpoint, it is realistic, said Richard Pinkham, a Singapore-based analyst with the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation. The 13-year timeframe allowed for plenty of lead time, he said.

Liu said a large aircraft program would spawn new technological advances and secondary industries. He gave no precise details about the size of the plane, although large aircraft are generally considered to have about 200 seats and a payload of 100 tons.