Amit's Blog

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...

The Free Market Myth: Power, Politics, and Protectionism     Free market economics, envisioned as a system of unfettered trade, minimal government interference, perfect competition, and unrestricted factor mobility, remains a theoretical construct rather than a practical reality. Geopolitical imperatives—state power, security, and strategic interests—consistently override market principles, as evidenced by historical mercantilism, Cold War trade blocs, and modern sanctions. Social and political pressures in affluent nations restrict labor mobility, thwarting a free labor market, while technology protectionism, driven by national security concerns, fragments global innovation. The World Trade Organization (WTO), often misrepresented as a beacon of free trade, is a pragmatic compromise, managing trade tensions through rules that permit tariffs, subsidies, and exemptions. Additional barriers—market failures, corporate monopolies, inequality, cultural norms, and financial controls...

Is the West Stifling Huawei’s Global Ambitions? Geopolitical Barriers Cloaked as Security Concerns?   Huawei, China’s telecom giant, faces significant Western resistance in deploying its 5G and allied products globally, driven by bans in the U.S., EU, and allies like Australia and Canada. Despite leading in 5G patents and infrastructure, Huawei has been excluded from key markets over alleged espionage risks and ties to China’s government. U.S. Entity List restrictions since 2019 limit access to critical chips and software, while the EU’s “de-risking” policies curb Huawei’s 5G equipment use. These barriers, blending security concerns with economic protectionism, aim to protect Western firms like Nokia and Ericsson and counter China’s tech dominance. Huawei’s domestic success, with 30% of China’s 5G market, and expansion in Belt and Road countries highlight resilience. This note examines Huawei’s market performance, security record, international adoption, and the balance between...