By Marcella Mwinkoma Babing
What exactly is happening between the United States and China, and how did we get to a point where aircraft spare parts have become a bargaining chip in a much bigger economic battle?
Well, to understand today’s story, let’s go back a little.
The tension between the United States and China did not begin with aircraft parts. It has been building for years through trade, technology, tariffs, national security and, increasingly, control over critical minerals.
The relationship took a major turn in 2018, during Donald Trump’s first presidency.
In July 2018, the United States imposed its first major tariffs on Chinese imports under Section 301 of the Trade Act, accusing China of unfair trade practices, including issues involving technology transfer and intellectual property. China retaliated with tariffs of its own.
By September 2018, the US had imposed another round of tariffs covering thousands of Chinese products, and Beijing responded with its own tariffs on American goods.
And that’s when what became known as the US-China trade war really took shape.
But this wasn’t only about tariffs.
The dispute gradually moved into technology and strategic industries.
In May 2019, after trade talks broke down, the United States increased tariffs from 10% to 25% on about $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. China announced retaliatory tariffs on American products.
Around the same period, Washington also intensified restrictions on Chinese technology company Huawei, citing national-security concerns. In May 2019, the US Commerce Department placed Huawei on its Entity List, restricting its access to American technology without government approval.
So the argument was no longer simply:
“You sell too much to us.”
It was increasingly becoming:
“Who controls the technology and supply chains that the other country depends on?”
Then came the Phase One trade agreement in January 2020, which temporarily reduced some of the tensions. But it did not resolve the deeper disagreements between Washington and Beijing.
And during President Joe Biden’s administration, many of the Trump-era tariffs remained, while Washington expanded restrictions on China’s access to advanced semiconductor technology.
Now, fast-forward to 2025 and 2026, and another critical piece of the puzzle has become much more important:
RARE EARTH MINERALS.
China is a dominant player in the global rare-earth supply chain. These materials are important for technologies and industries ranging from electric vehicles and electronics to aerospace.
That gives Beijing something Washington needs.
And China has increasingly used export controls on rare earths and related materials as part of its response to US trade and technology restrictions.
In 2025, the two countries repeatedly imposed and adjusted tariffs and export controls. In May and June 2025, Washington and Beijing reached temporary arrangements aimed at reducing some of those restrictions, including Chinese controls on rare-earth materials and US export controls.
But the underlying problem did not disappear.
And that brings us to today’s story.
According to Reuters, the Trump administration is now slowing or limiting approvals for some American aircraft parts going to China.
Why?
Because Washington knows China needs those parts.
American companies supply components used by Boeing and Airbus aircraft operated by Chinese airlines. American suppliers also provide critical components and technology used by COMAC, China’s state-owned commercial aircraft manufacturer.
Reuters reports that the US Commerce Department has slowed export licensing for some aircraft parts and is considering regulations that could make it easier to restrict additional components, including landing gear and aviation hydraulic fluid.
The reported objective is not simply to stop China from getting airplane parts.
It is about leverage.
Washington wants greater access to Chinese rare-earth minerals, and aircraft parts give the United States something it can potentially use as negotiating power.
And China appears to understand exactly what is happening.
Reuters reports that China has sought several years’ worth of spare parts for 200 Boeing aircraft it agreed to purchase in 2026.
Think about that.
China is essentially seeking greater certainty that it will be able to maintain those aircraft even if US-China trade tensions flare up again.
But Washington has reportedly been reluctant to provide such guarantees because the supply of those parts could itself be used as leverage in future negotiations.
So we now have a very interesting situation.
China has rare earths.
America has critical aviation components and technology.
Each side controls something the other side needs.
And that is what makes this much bigger than an argument about airplanes.
It is a battle over economic dependence.
For years, businesses built global supply chains around the assumption that countries would continue trading with one another.
But the US-China relationship is showing us that those supply chains can also become instruments of geopolitical power.
And there is another concern here.
Aircraft are not ordinary products.
An airline cannot simply say, “If the American part doesn’t arrive, let’s buy any other part tomorrow.”
Aircraft components have to meet strict safety and certification requirements.
So prolonged restrictions could potentially create problems for aircraft maintenance, airline operations and aircraft production.
That is why the aviation industry is watching this very closely.
And remember: this comes even as Washington and Beijing are trying to keep their broader relationship from deteriorating.
In September 2026, US and Chinese officials held talks on issues including rare earths, agricultural trade and artificial intelligence.
And after President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington, the two countries agreed to reduce some tariffs and extend their trade truce, giving negotiators more time to tackle the difficult issues.
So, ironically, while the two countries are talking about cooperation and trying to ease tensions, they are also positioning themselves to put pressure on each other.
And that, for me, is the real story.
This is no longer just about what America buys from China or what China buys from America.
It is about who can afford to be dependent on whom.
The United States doesn’t want China to have too much control over materials critical to American industries.
China, meanwhile, wants to reduce its dependence on American technology and components particularly in strategic industries such as aviation and advanced technology.
And both countries are discovering that economic dependence can be turned into political leverage.
So when we hear that the United States is slowing aircraft-part exports to China, we shouldn’t look at it simply as an aviation story.
It is another chapter in a relationship that has evolved from tariffs, to technology restrictions, to critical minerals and now potentially to aircraft parts.
The bigger question is:
How far will both countries go in using their economic strengths against each other, without hurting the very industries and consumers that depend on global trade?
