For years, Beijing has had high hopes that Comac’s C919, China’s first domestically made airliner, could challenge the aircraft market dominance of Boeing and Airbus, showing China’s technological self-reliance and the advances made by its state-run plane maker.
But as the US-China trade war escalates, analysts are warning that the C919’s heavy reliance on US suppliers for critical components could threaten plans to increase production and even hit the maintenance of passenger jets already in operation.
With China’s three big state-owned airlines already flying 17 C919s and Comac expecting to build at least 30 more of the single-aisle aircraft this year, the tensions between Washington and Beijing are highlighting how Chinese companies can be heavily dependent on US companies in their supply chains.