The government has begun to allocate funding for the development of the MA-700, an indigenous turboprop regional airliner, amid calls from lawmakers to boost the regional airline and general aviation sectors.

"The MA-700 is a brand new regional airliner that is being domestically developed and features high speed and long range," said Tang Jun, a deputy to the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, and chairman of Xi'an Aircraft Industry (Group) Co Ltd.

"We hope the aircraft, and also the MA-600, can satisfy different demands from the market."