Hongdu

28°38′05″N 115°55′50″E / 28.634818°N 115.93061°E / 28.634818; 115.93061 Hongdu Aviation Industry Group Ltd. (HAIG) (Chinese: 洪都航空工业集团), formerly China Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation or CNAMC, is a Chinese aircraft manufacturer and supplier to the Chinese military. It is based in Nanchang, Jiangxi and is a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). Hongdu's predecessor was the Sino-Italian National Aircraft Works (SINAW), established in December 1934 in Nanchang. It was a joint venture between the Republic of China and the Kingdom of Italy, after Chiang Kai-shek signed an agreement with Italian dictator Benito Mussolini a year before. In 1935, factories were built at Qingyunpu Airport (then known as Sanjiadian) and Laoyingfang Airport. Song Ziliang (T. L. Soong) served as the first chairman, and an Italian served as general manager. After the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, SINAW factories were severely damaged by Japanese aerial bombing. When the Chinese government discovered that Italians served as guides for Japanese pilots, it broke off its relationship with Italy, and all Italian employees left the company by the end of the year, with 300 Chinese employees remaining. On 9 December 1937, Chiang Kai-shek confiscated Italian shares and properties and renamed the company Central Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Factory (中央南昌飛機製造廠). To evade Japanese attacks, it was relocated to Nanchuan, Chongqing, and was renamed No. 2 Aircraft Manufacturing Factory (第二飛機製造廠).