China is adopting an open (well a little bit more open) skies policy in 2010. This will free up airspace for biz jets and airlines however I think it will be a while before you can hire a 182 for a local jolly...
The biggest problem is that the CAAC don know wat they are supposed to be governing... they have had the job of looking after the airlines but have never really thought about the general aviation industry. Airspace is controlled by the government but no the CAAC.
At the moment their main strategy is to mke the flying schools establish in the western provences where it doesnt matter.
The aviation industry in China up until now has been very limited with almost no existence of a General Aviation industry and only a small number of state owned airlines operating domestically. The change from 2006 to 2008 has been substantial, with government agencies now talking in terms of the ways of gaining approvals rather than describing it as impossible.
Biz Jet manufacturers are all taking China very seriously, particularly as China is fast becoming a business dynamo in the world economy. The new entrepreneurs are finding that business jet transport is the only way to maximize their time over this vast area, and it's all starting to drive business jet sales and charters in Asia.
The main factors holding back the full potential of business jet travel in the region - and an explosion of aircraft sales - are restrictive government agencies whose rules are more aligned with commercial airline operations. Excessive import duty and VAT on the importation of new aircraft is still a major problem. However the CAAC has introduced new regulations to encourage private investment in key aviation infrastructure, including domestic airlines, airports, and cargo facilities, as well as in services such as fuel supply and storage, maintenance and repair, operations, catering, and distribution systems. The rules also allow for the use of private capital in the construction of airports in western China and grant foreign carriers unlimited access to the area's six provinces and regions Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, Guangxi, and Tibet.
China is seen to be taking the right steps, with the growth of business aviation activity viewed as 'substantial' over the last 10 years by many industry figures. The equivalent of an AOC has been approved, and more military airspace is becoming available to business jet users, from 2010 China will adopt and open skies policy opening much of its airspace that is controlled by the military to civilian use.. On the negative side though, importers of foreign aircraft still have to pay a hefty 21% Import/VAT levy. China is very active, and although it's going to take a few more years yet, we are seeing companies and individuals interested in buying whole and fractions of aircraft. The most popular business aviation access route in China at the moment is charter, but this is changing with companies buying their own aircraft and then having them managed by one of the specialist charter companies, presently there are only a handful of these companies and many are hard to find.