An executive of Embraer SA has said the Brazilian planemaker is committed to building aircraft in China once again, the South China Morning Post reports.

The Hong Kong newspaper quotes the vice-president of Embraer for sales and marketing in China, Guo Qing, as saying: “We are looking for new opportunities, but it is just about the timing. The market needs to mature enough to support the production of the sales volume.”

The report says Embraer and its Chinese partners made planes in the northern Chinese city of Harbin until 2016.

It quotes Mr Guo as saying Embraer would resume making planes in China in partnership with Chinese companies.

Embraer has been demonstrating its E-Jet E2 models in the Asia-Pacific region in recent months, making a particular effort to sell them to airlines in Macau, the report says.

From October 2020 the authorities in Macau will permit commercial airlines other than Air Macau to make the airport there their base, the South China Morning Post quotes Mr Guo as saying.