China shows off homegrown C919 jet in Hong Kong

BEIJING - China's new domestically produced passenger jet made its debut outside the mainland on Wednesday, with international media in Hong Kong getting their first up-close look.

The C919 made its maiden commercial flight in May and is key to Beijing's decades-long ambitions to compete with European and US rivals in the air and cut down China's reliance on foreign technology.

Chinese authorities hope the sleek, narrow-body aircraft -- built by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC) -- will challenge foreign models like the Boeing 737 MAX and the Airbus A320.

Now on display at Hong Kong International Airport, the C919 will fly over the city's Victoria Harbour on Saturday.

Hong Kong leader John Lee on Wednesday hailed the development of the C919 and the ARJ21 -- a smaller, earlier model made by COMAC -- as "important milestones" in China's aviation sector.

"China's successful development of a large passenger jet symbolises its leading position in the transportation manufacturing industry," Lee said at a ceremony at the airport.

The C919 has received 1,061 orders from more than 30 clients as of this week, officials said in a statement.