Once upon a time, China’s ambitions were only aerospace, often followed by some technical mix-up or the sudden disappearance of newly revealed projects. But with the salon of Zhuhai of this year, which ends on Sunday with the great Airshow dedicated to the public, it has been demonstrated to the world that in this sector the People’s Republic is the true and only technological antagonist of the United States on a military level, while for Europe it could become so even in the civil one, unless we take advantage of it and make agreements that bring mutual benefits.
In the article from a few days ago we described the progress in the military and space fields, while now it is time to reveal the civil and commercial ones. China is already seeking certification in the West for its scheduled transport aircraft produced by Comacthe C929, a long-range twin-engine plane with a maximum of 320 seats, a potential competitor of the Airbus 330 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and after some interactions with the Western aeronautical authorities (the American FAA and the European EASA, from which, imitating the structures were created the Chinese CAAC), the company has announced that it will be the company Air China the first customer of the airplane which, initially, was developed with Russian participation.
It means that, at least for now, they can’t sell it abroad; However, Comac it also stated that its “regional” jet, previously known as the ARJ21, has been modified in various parts and renamed C909 for range uniformity (we speak of a “family” with C909, 919 and 929), and that one has a certification in advanced state. Zhang Xiaoguangthe company’s marketing director, told journalists present at Zhuhai: “After careful consideration, long gestation and seeking input from many stakeholders, we chose to use C909 as the new trade name to build the brand.” The changes concern a reduction in weight and resistance, a reduction in noise and also the possibility of managing it with lower costs from a maintenance point of view.
Among the announcements made at Zhuhaieven what Hainan Airlinesan airline based in Haikou and considered among the best in China, which has signed an order for sixty examples of C919 jets and forty C909s. He did the same Guizhou Airlinessigning an agreement for thirty C909 aircraft, twenty of which have already been financed. In practice, all orders that do not see Western implications, but which serve Beijing to demonstrate the efficiency of its products and also offer them abroad. The European Airbus is also present in China with a specially established company (Airbus China), whose CEO, George Xustated that he does not fear competition from Chinese jets – without EASA certification they cannot operate in the Old Continent – and that, on the contrary, he wishes to “concentrate resources to develop projects with Chinese partners, also because the Chinese certification of the Airbus 330neo model is being delivered smoothly, with the first delivery of an example likely to take place in 2025.” He also added that Airbus is in favor of free trade with Comac despite the dispute between the European Union and China over electric vehicles and the potential new front of friction that could arise with the victory of Donald Trump in the US presidential elections, after the latter declared its intention to impose new tariffs. At least in the short term, there is no reason, other than political, for the US and EU to try to stop the export of Comac creating problems with the Western certification process, since this practice, if also applied by China, would financially cost much more to the nations involved in Airbus and to the European related industries, such as to Boeing, which in these times of other problems just has not need.
To be clear: approximately 2,300 Airbus and over 10,000 Boeing aircraft fly with Chinese companies; Chinese production will not be able to replace them for decades yet, but a political decision would cost us Westerners billions in lost sales and assistance. Thinking about Italy, although it is not directly a corporate part of Airbus, it supplies components by participating massively in the production chain and is a partner with it of the aircraft manufacturer ATR – potential competition from Comac – like the multinational missile company Mbda. And that’s not all: Coming out of the Earth’s atmosphere, the model of the first commercial unmanned space plane built by China was displayed by major state aerospace company Avic, which said the shuttle is being developed to deliver cargo to the station Chinese spacecraft. According to the official newspaper China Daily – entirely controlled by the Beijing government – the aircraft “brings a low-cost reusable cargo shuttle solution”.
