China’s eVTOL developers race to obtain certifications

A growing number of research and production enterprises focused on electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft have emerged in China and are seeking the necessary certification to bring their products to the sky.

Volant, a Shanghai-based eVTOL developer, is seeking a type certificate (TC) for its 2.5-ton eVTOL aircraft, which is designed to carry one pilot and up to five passengers.

Currently, the company has signed preliminary cooperation agreements with numerous clients, with total orders exceeding 700 aircraft. However, before these partnerships can be realized, they must secure various safety certifications from local civil aviation authorities over the next one to two years.

"Obtaining certifications is a complex process involving hundreds of testing subjects. For example, the seats must be able to withstand 16 times the force of gravity throughout the aircraft's entire lifespan," said Huang Xiaofei, Vice President of Strategy at Volant.

Jiang Jun is the co-founder of TCab Tech, another eVTOL developer. A month ago, they also held a meeting to apply for a type certificate (TC) for their first model. He noted that China has a relatively well-developed environment for eVTOL aircraft manufacturing.

"Currently, the only component we import is the motor, which comes from the French manufacturer Safran. All other parts are made in China, so the entire supply chain is essentially complete," said Jiang.

Driven by the manufacturing demand for eVTOL aircraft, the industry is actively expanding and investing across various segments of the entire supply chain.

"For example, we have partnered with several leading universities and research institutes in Shanghai to innovate components and composite materials. We are also focusing on domestic chips and materials to replace imported components. I believe this represents a major opportunity for the entire industry," said Zhu Min, head of Shanghai STVC Group.

In 2024, the Shanghai municipal government issued an action plan aimed at supporting the development of over 10 leading eVTOL aircraft research and manufacturing enterprises, with the goal of attracting more than 100 key supporting companies by 2027.

"We are focused on building a comprehensive industrial system for the research and development, design, final assembly, trial testing, and commercial application of new low-altitude aircraft. We are leveraging municipal industrial special funds to accelerate the innovative research and manufacturing efforts of enterprises in Shanghai," said Guo Lei, director of the Major Equipment Industry Division of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization.

China’s eVTOL developers race to obtain certifications

China is to impose a matching 34 percent tariffs on all U.S. imports, plus export controls, and trade restrictions, in response to the U.S. move to impose a 34 percent "reciprocal tariff" on Chinese imports, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce announced on Friday.

The spokesperson said that the U.S. imposition of so-called "reciprocal tariffs" seriously violates WTO rules, harms the legitimate rights and interests of the WTO members, and undermines the multilateral trade system and global economic order.

Calling it a typical act of unilateral bullying that threatens global trade stability, China has filed a complaint against the U.S. move under the WTO dispute settlement mechanism, the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council announced on Friday that the imposition of the 34-percent tariffs on all products imported from the United States would take effect on 12:01, April 10, while the U.S. imposition is set to take effect on April 9.

Also on Friday, the Ministry of Commerce issued announcement No.18 of 2025, imposing export controls on seven types of middle-heavy rare earth elements, including samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium.

The Ministry of Commerce also issued announcement No.21 of 2025, adding 16 U.S. military-related entities to the export control list, prohibiting the export of dual-use items to these entities.

The work mechanism for the unreliable entity list issued announcement No.7 of 2025, which added 11 U.S. companies on the unreliable entity list, prohibiting them from engaging in import and export activities related to China, and prohibiting them from making new investments in China.

The Ministry of Commerce issued announcements No.19 and No.20 of 2025, launching an anti-dumping investigation into imported medical CT tubes originating from the U.S. and other regions, and initiating China's first industry competitiveness investigation into imported medical CT tubes.

Also on Friday, the General Administration of Customs issued announcements No.54 and No.55, stating that in order to protect the health of Chinese consumers and ensure the safety of China's livestock production, it has decided to suspend the qualification of one U.S. company for exporting sorghum to China, suspend the qualification of three U.S. companies for exporting poultry bone meal to China, and suspend the export of poultry products to China from two U.S. companies, as their imports are found problematic in the inspection and quarantine.

China to control export, restrict trade with US plus tariffs