US Halts Engine and Tech Exports to China’s COMAC Amid Trade Tensions

The United States has suspended the export of aircraft engines and other aviation technologies to the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), escalating trade tensions between the two nations, according to a May 28, 2025, report by The New York Times.

The US Department of Commerce has reportedly revoked certain licenses that previously allowed American companies to sell advanced aviation components to COMAC, including key technologies vital to the production and operation of China’s domestically developed C919 jet. The C919 is powered by LEAP engines produced through a joint venture between GE Aerospace and France’s Safran, under the CFM International brand.

The move follows recent hopes of thawing tensions between Washington and Beijing. Earlier in May, both countries agreed to a 90-day truce in their long-running tariff dispute, with the US cutting duties on Chinese imports from 145% to 30% and China reducing tariffs on US goods from 125% to 10%. However, this suspension of exports signals renewed strain, especially in sectors deemed critical to national security and industrial dominance.

In addition to aviation, the US has also halted shipments of other technologies, including certain semiconductors and industrial chemicals, suggesting a broader strategy to curb China’s technological advancement. These actions are seen as a response to Beijing’s continued restrictions on exports of critical minerals vital to US industries.

The escalating restrictions come as COMAC aims to position the C919 as a serious competitor to Boeing’s 737 and Airbus’s A320 families—both reliant on Western technology. The export halt could delay COMAC’s ambitions and raise broader questions about global aviation supply chains.

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