China and Russia on Monday completed the formal registration of a joint venture to build a wide-body jet, kick-starting full-scale development of a program aimed at competing with market leaders Boeing and Airbus, Reuters reports. State plane makers Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd (COMAC) and Russia’s United Aircraft Corp (UAC) said at a ceremony in Shanghai the venture would aim to build a “competitive long range wide-body commercial aircraft.” The announcement comes just weeks after COMAC successfully completed the maiden flight of its C919, China’s first home-grown narrow-body passenger jet. COMAC President Jin Zhuanglong said the two firms had decided to hold the establishment ceremony after the C919’s flight. The program will have a research center in Moscow and assembly line in Shanghai, he said, adding division of labor was still being discussed.