An ambitious 40 billion yuan (US$ 5.9 billion) industrial zone for aircraft parts is being planned in South China to produce up to a quarter of the supply for big Chinese planes, a Jiangxi provincial said on Thursday.  

Jiangxi province has begun seeking investors, including foreign firms, for the 25 square-kilometer zone with an eye toward breaking ground in 2 years, Yao Mugen, director of the provincial Development and Reform Commission said.

The province will draw on talent from an aviation research institute and 2 universities plus interest among local aircraft manufacturers, Yao said, adding that output could equal 25 percent of all parts made in China for large Chinese aircrafts. “Jiangxi is now designing a big national aircraft production base drawing on the province’s infrastructure and advantages to develop the aviation parts industry,” Yao said.

The 40 billion yuan would cover the zone’s infrastructure and equipment for manufactures, Yao said, pointing out that the province is talking to Boeing about an investment in the zone. Boeing already makes 747-8 commercial airliner parts in Jiangxi, the company’s China spokesman Wang Yukui said.