Is the West Grounding China’s C919? Geopolitical Power Plays Masquerading as Safety Concerns? China’s COMAC C919, a narrowbody jet challenging Airbus and Boeing, faces significant delays in obtaining EASA and FAA certifications, limiting its international operations. Since its 2023 debut, 16 C919s have flown over one million passengers domestically, with 1,200 orders, primarily from Chinese airlines. Its clean safety record and successful inspections are overshadowed by reliance on Western components, like CFM LEAP-1C engines, subject to U.S. export controls in 2025. EASA’s three-to-six-year timeline and FAA inaction suggest geopolitical motives, including protecting Western aerospace giants and countering China’s “Made in China 2025” strategy. Allegations of intellectual property theft fuel distrust. China counters by developing the CJ-1000A engine, targeting non-Western markets like Brunei, and pushing for EU trade concessions. Similar resistance is evident in semiconductor...