Air show seeks to position China as global competitor

BEIJING (AP) — China is displaying its latest generation fighter jets and civilian aircraft as it looks to carve a larger role for itself in the global arms trade and take on Boeing and Airbus. China is the world’s fourth largest arms exporter. An expanding domestic industry has allowed China to sever its former dependence on Russia and compete for contracts for equipment from drones to warplanes and missile defense systems. The air show starting Tuesday in the southern city of Zhuhai is displaying the J-20 stealth fighter, YU-20 aerial tanker and others. It comes as Russia’s war on Ukraine has reduced stocks to the point that the United States has accused North Korea of supplying Soviet-era ammunition to replenish Russian stockpiles.