The U.S.-initiated trade war against China, now in its eighth year, has taken a new turn. On May 29, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced the suspension of exports to China of critical U.S. technologies including those related to jet engines used in the latter's domestically produced C919 passenger jet—the only in-service engine currently powering the aircraft. Many American elites see the move as an attempt to curb China's progress in aviation and preserve the U.S. edge in technological competition.

The C919 passenger jet, developed by the Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC), is positioned as a competitor to the U.S.' Boeing 737 and Europe's Airbus A320. It completed its maiden commercial flight in 2023. Priced at 653 million yuan (approximately $90 million) per unit, the C919 offers a remarkable price advantage—with the Boeing 737 MAX, for example, coming in at a cost of $110–135 million. As of April 30, COMAC had delivered 18 C919 aircraft to Chinese airlines, with total orders surpassing 1,400.

Currently, the C919 has a domestic content ratio of around 60 percent. Its engine was supplied by CFM International, a joint venture between General Electric of the U.S. and SNECMA, a French company under the Safran Group, the world's second largest aircraft equipment manufacturer.

Now that the U.S. has announced a suspension of engine exports, CFM International stands to suffer the most immediate loss. Amid ongoing safety concerns at Boeing and a sharp decline in orders for the 737, engine orders from China's C919 had emerged as a vital driver of growth for the joint venture.

China's response to the U.S. export suspension has been anything but hasty. Instead, it had long been preparing a contingency plan. As early as 2023, COMAC already began purchasing and stockpiling LEAP-1C engines—enough to sustain C919 deliveries for several years. In parallel, China launched the development of its own large commercial aircraft engine, the CJ-1000A, in 2011. The first prototype was assembled in 2017 and in 2023, the engine completed a flight test aboard the Y-20, a military transport aircraft operated by the People's Liberation Army Air Force. The CJ-1000A is expected to fully replace the LEAP-1C by 2027.

China's vast domestic market and strong growth potential are more than sufficient to support the aircraft's development. The aircraft now boasts over 28,000 hours of safe commercial flight, 11,400 completed flights, and more than 1.57 million passengers transported.

American elites fear that China's breakthroughs in high-end manufacturing—particularly the rise of the C919—could erode Boeing's market share and undermine the U.S.' dominance in the global aviation industry. Yet they seem unwilling to draw lessons from either history or present realities. From Huawei smartphones and the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System to high-speed rail and the C919, China has repeatedly advanced through the cycle of foreign cutoff, independent development and full substitution across multiple strategic sectors. Each act of hostile technological containment has ultimately served as a catalyst for the transformation of Chinese manufacturing.

"Blockades never prevent breakthroughs; churning waves won't hold back determined ships." These were the words of Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Xie Feng, spoken at an embassy event on May 28. This is not rhetoric, but a vivid testament to the progress of Chinese manufacturing amid challenges and adversity.

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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