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Stephen Chen

A leading Chinese aviation engineer has set out a detailed blueprint for building a fully self-sufficient supply chain for large passenger jets.
The paper, written by Zhang Yanzhong, a senior academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) and the former chief scientist of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, acknowledged there was a very real risk that the country could be cut off entirely from components made in the West.
Known as the “father of China’s large aircraft” for his decades of work on the Y-20, a military transport plane, and the C919 passenger jet, Zhang is one of the most authoritative voices in China’s aviation establishment.
He was remarkably frank about how many critical C919 parts came from Western companies, including the Leap-1C engine, supplied by CFM International, a joint venture between America’s GE and France’s Safran.
Besides the engine, the auxiliary power unit is supplied by America’s Honeywell and the shell around the engine by Nexcelle. The plane also uses avionics designed and tested by GE and its joint ventures; communication and navigation subsystems from Collins Aerospace and an air data system from Honeywell, according to Zhang.
The main flight controls and autopilot also receive “technical guidance” from Honeywell, which also supplies the brakes; the actuators that move the control surfaces and fuel and hydraulics equipment come from Parker Hannifin and the high-lift system comes from Moog.
Liebherr of Germany supplies the landing gear and air management system and UTC, which merged with RTX Corporation, supplies the core electrical generation and distribution components in the power system.
This means that most of the C919’s most complex “black box” systems, which are the hardest to replace, rely on a handful of American and European suppliers.
Zhang warned that global “geopolitical competition” and a “decoupling” push by the US and Europe had “intensified the risk to China’s large aircraft supply chain”.
The paper, published in the Chinese journal Strategic Study of CAE, said the Leap-1C engine had faced a “supply cut-off crisis” in 2020, only resolved by a temporary export licence.
It added that the US National Defence Authorisation Act and export control entity lists meant the supply of advanced engines and avionics could be cut off at any time.
Zhang also said that even if parts were not formally banned, Western suppliers could simply prioritise projects for the likes of Boeing and Airbus, delaying deliveries to China and making it harder for Comac, the C919’s manufacturer, to control its own production schedule.
He argued that the old model of relying on a globalised, “open” supply chain was “no longer suitable” for China’s needs and called for a dedicated national programme, with stable funding and a “whole-nation system” to mobilise resources across military and civilian sectors.
He warned that this would be a “complex, long-term and arduous” task that would require a sustained commitment over decades, but set out a detailed technical road map for replacing every vulnerable component.


Zhang called for the development of the Chinese-made CJ-1000A engine, which is currently in its certification phase, to be speeded up and stressed the need to build auxiliary power units along with avionics, flight control and power systems.
These complex systems would all use domestic chips, software and advanced materials.
Zhang recommended a “layered” approach, where major aviation firms such as Comac and AVIC work with hundreds of domestic companies – ranging from large state-owned enterprises to smaller private firms – to build a complete, self-reliant supply chain.
The paper, published on April 30, signals the view of China’s technical elite on what is necessary, but it has not yet been formally adopted as a binding national plan, according to a Beijing-based aviation researcher.
The aviation establishment was actively preparing for a worst-case scenario, the researcher, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, added.
However, the government typically moved cautiously on such massive industrial projects, weighing costs, the diplomatic implications and the feasibility of replacing complex Western systems, he added.


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Aviation expert Zhang Yanzhong, who played a leading role in developing the C919, warns of a real risk of being cut off from supply chains


Aviation expert Zhang Yanzhong, who played a leading role in developing the C919, warns of a real risk of being cut off from supply chains.


Here’s how China plans to sanction-proof its C919 passenger jet

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Aviation expert Zhang Yanzhong, who played a leading role in developing the C919, warns of a real risk of being cut off from supply chains

Aviation expert Zhang Yanzhong, who played a leading role in developing the C919, warns of a real risk of being cut off from supply chains