Some believe that commercial airline developments on China's behalf could be harmful to the United States, however, one expert believes China has a long way to go in commercial aviation.
Scott Kennedy, Center for Strategic and International Studies senior adviser and trustee chair in Chinese business and economics, wrote that China is struggling to establish itself as a commercial airline powerhouse and is essentially, “an aerospace minor leaguer,” in a recent blog post.
In the post, Kennedy stresses that China has had numerous struggles with its commercial aviation industry including the nature of its government, poor aircraft design and a reluctance by many companies to aid the country with is commercial aviation goals because the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China has ties to the Chinese military.
China has also had limited success producing a quality commercial aircraft that could rival those designed by Boeing or Airbus, despite investing billions, Kennedy writes. China’s C919 aircraft, which was hoped to lead to massive revenue for the nation, has yet to achieve certification since its maiden flight in 2017.
Kennedy’s report, which took more than two years to complete, blames China’s commercial aircraft woes on several “failed efforts over many decades,” Kennedy wrote.