You don't need much espionage when western companies are literally sending specs for their products to be manufactured in China.

I visited an Airbus factory and on the floor were dozens of pallets filled with parts ready to be loaded on a ship headed for China. The tour guide said that in order for big orders of Airbus planes to be made from China, Airbus had agreed to do final assembly in China. Boeing on the other hand, he smirked, did not agree to this and subsequently didn't get the orders (this has since changed and Boeing is doing the same, just not final assembly). It was pretty obvious to me why Boeing would not have wanted to do this, but Airbus didn't seem to have the same reservations.

I will bet that in 5-10 years, China will start manufacturing its own airplanes.

> I will bet that in 5-10 years, China will start manufacturing its own airplanes.

China has been manufacturing aircraft since the 1930s, and its own designs since the 1950s.

Many of its aircraft of the 20th Century were reverse-engineered derivatives of Soviet types, but there were also indigenous designs which sold fairly well globally such as the Harbin Y-12 light turbrprop.

Their indigenous first jet-powered airliner, the Shaanxi Y-10, flew in 1980.

The current C919 airliner project uses the same LEAP engines as the A230Neo and 737Max:

http://english.comac.cc/Galleries/Photo/201512/25/W020151225...

Airbus is going to regret that decision. The old adage about capitalists selling the noose that hangs them holds true

Meh. Building an airplane isn't that hard anyways, China will get there soon if they aren't already (e.g. with the C919).

It is very difficult to build avionics and jet engines that work, which are just shipped whole sale in final assembly. It will take China much much much longer to replicate that technology, and final assembly rights aren't going to help much at all.

Or are forced to set up joint ventures with Chinese companies as a condition of entering the Chinese market. After a few years, once the technology transfer/know-how has been transferred, the joint venture is dissolved.