China is expected to build over 500 general aviation aerodromes by 2020 to improve the environment for high-quality development of the general aviation industry, the People's Daily overseas edition reported on Wednesday.

General aviation, or civil aviation operations other than public air transport operations, includes industrial, agricultural and forestry operations. It is a strategic industry emerging in China with characteristics such as a long industrial chain and a broad service scope.

The general aviation industry is developing very fast in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, and Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province.

A national-level general aviation industry cluster demonstration area has been built in Wuhan, and the city also held many activities including the 2017 Federation Aeronautique Internationale World Fly-in Expo.

A special fund of 10 billion yuan ($1.44 billion) was established to support the development of the general aviation industry in Chengdu. Huaizhou Xincheng, located in eastern Chengdu, is becoming an important hub to promote the general aviation industry's development in central and western China.

At present China's general aviation industry has entered the market segmentation stage, and the general public's understanding of general aviation needs to be improved. In the future, this industry should focus on providing services to ordinary people, said industrial insider Ma Linzhong.

Ma made the remark during the 2018 General Aviation Industry Development Forum, held in Beijing on Dec 1, and the theme of this forum is to better foster the emerging general aviation industry and promote innovative development of urban and rural areas of the country.

The forum aims at making China's general aviation industry reach the middle and high-end levels of the global value chain by promoting and perfecting the whole industrial chain.