How the Zhuhai air show charted China’s path from catching up to flying high
Since the debut show in 1996, the country has gone from importing Russian planes to competing with the US at the cutting edge
Imported planes were the focus and Chinese audiences curiously studied the much more advanced foreign designs. They crowded around two Russian fourth-generation Su-27 fighters and were wowed as the jets performed their famous cobra manoeuvre, sharply braking in mid-air.
At the time, China had yet to build its own fourth-generation fighter.
