Taipei - Taiwan's Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (AIDC) will join Japans's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd in developing regional jets, the Central News Agency (CNA) said Saturday.

Mitsubishi has invited AIDC to jointly develop regional jets due to AIDC 's capability in aircraft design and manufacturing, CNA quoted Economics Minister Yin Chi-ming as saying.

AIDC and Mitsubishi have formed a "partnership relationship" on developing commercial regional jets. Yin will visit Mitsubishi's aeronautics department next week to push the deal, CNA said.

CNA said that Mitsubishi has entrusted AIDC to design a certain part of the regional jet, but AIDC also wants to be allowed to manufacture components for the jet.

Mitsubishi is involved in making ships, planes and bullet trains. Its aeronautics section is called the Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp which is in Nagoya, Japan.

On March 28, 2008, Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp launched the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ), a 70-90 seat regional jet developed jointly with Pratt & Whitney, Parker Aerospace, Rockwell Collins and Sumitomo Precision Products co Ltd.

AIDC, based in Taichung, central Taiwan, used to be Taiwan's state-owned military aircraft maker, having produced UH-1H helicopters,? F-5E/F bombers and the Indigenous Defence Fighters (IDF).

The company became privatized in 1996, and is now focused on manufacturing components for commercial aircraft for Taiwanese and overseas clients. (dpa)