Embraer sees Chinese role in strengthening supply chain, executive says

Brazilian planemaker Embraer said on Wednesday at China's largest air show in Zhuhai that it planned to focus on strengthening its supply chain, with Chinese companies able to play a role. Embraer is the world's third-largest planemaker and focuses on up to 150-seat single-aisle regional and executive aircraft, sitting just below Airbus' and Boeing's best-selling A320 and 737 families and rivalling the Airbus A220. At Zhuhai, Embraer's CCO, Martyn Holmes, noted that China's President Xi Jinping would soon visit Brazil. The G20 summit will be held there this month. "I think it's an exciting moment for us to be having that (supply chain) conversation with Chinese suppliers and looking how we evolve," Holmes said. China is Brazil's top trade partner. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said earlier this year that he wanted to discuss a "long-term strategic partnership" with China. Industry sources have said Embraer is looking for a strategic partner for a possible new passenger jet project to compete more directly with Airbus and Boeing. Since the COVID-19 pandemic Embraer has pushed to expand in Asia with its latest range of more efficient E2 jets, saying post-pandemic travel trends in the region created more demand for more frequent secondary and tertiary airport connections.<br/>