Cessna Aircraft and the Aviation Industry Corp. of China (Avic) signed “two strategic agreements to jointly develop general and business aviation in the People’s Republic of China” on Friday. Together these agreements “pave the way for a range of business jets, utility single-engine turboprops and single-engine piston aircraft to be manufactured and certified in China,” Cessna said. “The details of our agreements are still under discussion,” a Cessna spokeswoman told AIN, “but aircraft to be produced in Chengdu and sold in China include the Sovereign and Latitude.”

The first agreement is an overarching agreement to develop general aviation businesses in China. The second is a specific cooperation agreement among Cessna, Avic and the Chengdu government to enter into negotiations to establish a joint venture to produce the midsize Citations.

Today at Abace, Cessna president and CEO Scott Ernest said, “China recognizes general aviation offers the foundation to support its national air transportation needs for the future. These agreements will help take the industry to the next level.”

The partners plan to launch the joint-venture companies called for in the second agreement “within the next year,” according to Cessna.