The target announced by AVIC, reported by the Oriental Morning Post, is the latest step in China’s efforts to build large aircraft, including passenger jets with more than 150 seats, by 2020.
The official Xinhua news agency cited the engine maker as saying, "China is expected to complete the research on its first jumbo jet engine in 2016 and begin to apply for aviation certificate from the state aviation authority."
The first large passenger jet, or C919, is to be manufactured by Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, or COMAC, an arm of the government-owned aviation giantAVIC.
Developing aircraft engines will help China, which now only makes military aircraft engines, break the monopoly of foreign suppliers such as GE, Rolls-Royce and the Pratt and Whitney Group.
The Economic Times India reported that although the first batch of home-made jumbo jets are likely to be powered by foreign-made engines, Chinese engines will be used in later models.