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Re:China Completes Green Belt Around Taklamakan Desert by mnau on Sunday December 08, 2024 @02:34PM (#42359717)
National security angle is also often overlooked. China is not self sufficient in airplane manufacturing. Not now and back then it was only a plan.

What would they do in case of airplane export ban? They could keep existing ones airworthy, but transport capacity would be capped.

High speed trains are a viable alternative to airplanes.

Re:China Completes Green Belt Around Taklamakan Desert by DiogenesKynikos on Sunday December 08, 2024 @03:30PM (#42360144)
China has the C919 (equivalent to a Boeing 737 or A320), which still relies on imported engines, but the country is also developing its own jet engines for commercial use. They would accelerate those efforts if there were an export ban.