Boeing Ban Impacts on China's COMAC
18 April 2025 · Uncategorized ·
Source: · https://technews.tw/2025/04/18/comac-may-be-affected-by-boeing-ban/
China has instructed its domestic airlines to suspend new Boeing aircraft orders and seek approval before finalizing any purchases, according to a report in *The Wall Street Journal*. This move is expected to hinder the growth of Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) as it seeks to establish itself as a competitor.
Escalating tensions between the U.S. and China—marked by potential high tariffs and discussions around economic decoupling—further complicate this situation. Both Boeing and other aircraft manufacturers consider China their largest future commercial aviation market, with Boeing historically serving as America’s leading industrial exporter to that nation.
Data from the International Trade Administration (ITA) reveals a significant trade imbalance: in the past year alone, U.S. exports of planes, spacecraft, and components to China totaled nearly $12 billion, while imports were negligible.
The *Journal* highlights COMAC’s reliance on American technology; its primary commercial aircraft model, the C919, achieved airworthiness largely due to key technologies sourced from U.S. companies. This underscores America's considerable influence over COMAC’s operations.
COMAC has been actively promoting the C919 internationally—including at last year’s Singapore Airshow—but has yet to announce any foreign deliveries. Domestically, only approximately sixteen commercial flights operate using this model, all within China.
Analyst Ronald J. Epstein of Bank of America recently expressed skepticism about Beijing's ability to maintain the Boeing order suspension in the long term. He cautioned that if China ceases purchasing U.S.-made aircraft parts, “the C919 program will stall or die.”
Scott Kennedy, a CSIS expert on the Chinese economy, pointed out an analysis from last year indicating that only fourteen of COMAC’s eighty-two major suppliers are domestic companies—with half being foreign joint ventures. While China has increased its number of local suppliers, it remains reliant on Western technology. Although Beijing is encouraging airlines to favor COMAC over Western alternatives, analysts currently view the Chinese aircraft as posing no significant competitive threat.
From its inception, Chinese authorities have mandated that most Western technologies be transferred to domestic joint ventures—a strategy intended to prevent foreign government control and mitigate future export restrictions.
However, critical components such as engines are still imported. Even with emerging local supplier options for COMAC, transitioning major systems would likely cause substantial delays in certification processes.
Escalating tensions between the U.S. and China—marked by potential high tariffs and discussions around economic decoupling—further complicate this situation. Both Boeing and other aircraft manufacturers consider China their largest future commercial aviation market, with Boeing historically serving as America’s leading industrial exporter to that nation.
Data from the International Trade Administration (ITA) reveals a significant trade imbalance: in the past year alone, U.S. exports of planes, spacecraft, and components to China totaled nearly $12 billion, while imports were negligible.
The *Journal* highlights COMAC’s reliance on American technology; its primary commercial aircraft model, the C919, achieved airworthiness largely due to key technologies sourced from U.S. companies. This underscores America's considerable influence over COMAC’s operations.
COMAC has been actively promoting the C919 internationally—including at last year’s Singapore Airshow—but has yet to announce any foreign deliveries. Domestically, only approximately sixteen commercial flights operate using this model, all within China.
Analyst Ronald J. Epstein of Bank of America recently expressed skepticism about Beijing's ability to maintain the Boeing order suspension in the long term. He cautioned that if China ceases purchasing U.S.-made aircraft parts, “the C919 program will stall or die.”
Scott Kennedy, a CSIS expert on the Chinese economy, pointed out an analysis from last year indicating that only fourteen of COMAC’s eighty-two major suppliers are domestic companies—with half being foreign joint ventures. While China has increased its number of local suppliers, it remains reliant on Western technology. Although Beijing is encouraging airlines to favor COMAC over Western alternatives, analysts currently view the Chinese aircraft as posing no significant competitive threat.
From its inception, Chinese authorities have mandated that most Western technologies be transferred to domestic joint ventures—a strategy intended to prevent foreign government control and mitigate future export restrictions.
However, critical components such as engines are still imported. Even with emerging local supplier options for COMAC, transitioning major systems would likely cause substantial delays in certification processes.