Canada’s Trade Commission Invites Canadian Helicopter Firms to Expo Co-Hosted by Chinese Military

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Oct 19, 2025 - 09:53 Updated: Oct 19, 2025 - 09:49
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Canada’s Trade Commission Invites Canadian Helicopter Firms to Expo Co-Hosted by Chinese Military

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The office of the Trade Commissioner Service has organized Canadian helicopter manufacturers to take part in an exposition in China co-hosted by the Chinese military and another U.S.-black-listed state-owned Chinese entity that has supplied parts to the Russian military during its war on Ukraine.
The China Helicopter Exposition, held in Tianjin, China, from Oct. 16 to 19, is co-hosted by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Ground Force and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

The Trade Commissioner Service, which is part of Global Affairs Canada, said in its invitation to the event that “Canada’s helicopter industry is well positioned to respond to China’s fast growing general aviation (GA) sector - specifically, its increasing demand for helicopter missions in the private and public sectors. ”

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Ground Force, also known as the PLA Army, is the land-based and largest branch of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

The AVIC is a Chinese state-owned conglomerate focused on both civilian and military aviation. The organization is sanctioned by the United States for its links to the Chinese military.
The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a congressionally mandated commission, says in a report citing research by think tanks that AVIC has sold US$1.2 million worth of jet fighter components to defence companies in Russia while it has been engaged in the war on Ukraine.

During the opening ceremony of the event on Oct. 16, AVIC chairman Cheng Fubo, who is also part of the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)—the CCP’s highest organ—said that AVIC is committed to implementing Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s directions of strengthening China’s helicopter industry and advancing the cooperation of Tianjin with the Chinese military, as well as boosting public interest in defence.

“AVIC will thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important directions and instructions on building a world-class helicopter enterprise, continue to deepen cooperation with Tianjin and the Army, and build the Helicopter Expo into a key platform, actively leveraging its role as a bridge connecting China and the world,” Cheng said, according to a post on AVIC’s WeChat account.

“This will further foster a wave of public interest in aviation and national defence, actively promote the application of low-altitude economics, and continuously expand international cooperation.”

The Epoch Times contacted Global Affairs Canada for comment on national security concerns about the event, but the department said it couldn’t respond in time for publication.

On its website, the Trade Commissioner Service says the event will help Canadian companies network and pitch their products.
According to the U.S. Department of War, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) employs a “Military-Civil Fusion” strategy to disguise its military development endeavours as civilian pursuits.
“The PRC’s Military-Civil Fusion strategy supports the modernization goals of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) by ensuring it can acquire advanced technologies and expertise developed by PRC companies, universities, and research programs that appear to be civilian entities,” the department says in a post that lists AVIC and other organizations the United States considers to be part of the Chinese military.
On the Chinese-language website of China’s AVIC, “military-civilian integration” is listed as one of the core missions of the organization.

Military Aircraft Suppliers

The event lists eight entities as organizers, with three of them subsidiaries of AVIC, and another AVIC’s public relations and propaganda arm China Aviation Culture Co. Other organizers listed include the People’s Government of Tianjin Binhai New Area, the administrative committee of the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone, the international event-organization company Advanced Business Events, and the Army Equipment Department of the PLA.

The last co-organizer, the Army Equipment Department of the PLA, is responsible for managing the development, procurement, maintenance, and logistics of the Chinese military’s equipment.

The AVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry Group Co., an AVIC subsidiary listed as a co-organizer, is a manufacturer of Chinese military aircraft, including the Harbin H-5 bomber and the amphibious aircraft Harbin SH-5.

The AVIC Changhe Aircraft Industry Group, another AVIC subsidiary listed as a co-organizer, is a supplier of military helicopters to the PLA. The organization’s range of products includes the Changhe Z-10 attack helicopter.

Joint Training Cancellation

Canada’s engagement with the Chinese military drew controversy in 2020 after it was revealed that the Canadian military had planned to hold winter survival training with the PLA in Canada.
The event followed the Canadian Armed Forces sending representatives to observe the PLA training in 2018.

The plan to hold the training in Canada was cancelled after the United States raised security concerns, saying it could lead to “undesired knowledge transfer” from Canada to the PLA, according to government documents.

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