China’s C919 passenger jet soared into the sky above Singapore on its international debut at the weekend, a flying dinosaur of a bygone era of global cooperation.
Built by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China or Comac, its decades-long journey illustrates the twists and turns of a changing geopolitical landscape.
Multinational corporations, such as America’s General Electric Aerospace and France’s Safran Aircraft, developed the engines that power the C919.
“Some people have been questioning whether [it] can be called a domestically-manufactured aircraft when it relies on imports for about 40% of its components,” China’s state-run Global Times reported in a rare frank admission.
“There is a long list of foreign suppliers [such as] Honeywell’s electrical system and landing gear, GE’s flight recorder, Parker Aerospace’s flight control and fuel systems, and Michelin’s tires,” the newspaper said.
Stormy skies:
- Beijing’s relationship with Washington and its allies has changed dramatically since the C919 project was rolled out in 2008.
- Trade tensions have increased along with China’s military build-up and bullying in the South and East China Seas.
- President Xi Jinping’s regime has also been accused of high-tech cyber theft.
There is no country that presents a more comprehensive threat.
FBI Director Christopher Wray
Between the lines: “Leading to further scrutiny are allegations that a Chinese state-aligned adversary conducted cyber intrusions against several companies that make the C919’s components,” My TechDecisions, an online technology site, reported.
Delve deeper: As China’s economic crisis continues, so does the menace of “intellectual property” theft with state-sponsored groups targeting the West.
Big picture: “There is no country that presents a broader, more comprehensive threat to our ideas, our innovation, our economic security, and ultimately our national security,” FBI Director Christopher Wray told 60 Minutes on CBS in October.
Secret army: “We have seen efforts by the Chinese government, directly or indirectly, trying to steal intellectual property, trade secrets, personal data – all across the country,” he said.
China Factor comment: It is impossible to see another C919 project on the horizon in the future. Those days of collaboration have been left in a vapor trail at the Singapore Airshow.