Day one of the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition took to the skies on Tuesday with millions of viewers watching online from around the world.

The event is taking place in Zhuhai City in Guangdong Province and began with China's Red Eagle Aerobatic Team putting on a display which lasted for about 30 minutes.

At times the smog-filled skies did make it hard to see exactly what was happening, but the speed and the skill of the pilots were often in full view.

The Red Eagles come from the PLA Air Force Aviation University.

While the live video was full of action, its commentary was full of military messaging.

English versions of the live stream spoke of aircraft that were "ready for battle immediately", "perfectly built for war" and at one point, overestimating the ability of one aircraft by claiming it could take off in less than one second.

There were some commercial aircraft on display on day one also. The new CBJ business jet also took to the skies, being pitched to potential buyers as an aircraft of luxury.

The CBJ can accommodate between 12 to 29 seats and has a separate VIP bedroom, lounge, meeting room, sitting room and dining area.

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) is also attending the air show. It brought along the aircraft types it hopes will see it take on the giants of Boeing and Airbus. Their ARJ21 regional jet, C919 narrow-body jet and the CR929 wide-body jet were all on display on the ground on day one.

The airshow runs until Sunday.