A reported move by the United States to restrict exports of aircraft parts to China would place another speed bump on production of the C919 – a Chinese passenger jet designed to compete with Airbus and Boeing – as alternative sources of critical components for the plane are not readily available, according to analysts. The US Commerce Department has slowed export licensing for civilian aeroplane parts to China in recent weeks to strengthen Washington’s position in trade talks with Beijing, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources. The move was designed to prevent the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) – the maker of the C919 – from stockpiling parts, Reuters said. US officials have also reportedly expressed interest in regulations that would make it easier to restrict shipments of aviation hydraulic fluid. Analysts said the restrictions would create further supply issues for Comac, which was already falling behind on production of the C919. “This supply slowdown has only been an issue for the last few weeks,” said Richard Aboulafia, managing director at the US-based aerospace consulting firm AeroDynamic Advisory, referring to the Reuters report. “That means the past six months of practically non-existent deliveries are due to other internal problems at Comac,” he said. He suggested the manufacturer was “not building planes for other reasons”. Comac has received more than 1,000 orders from Chinese airlines for the C919, but the company has struggled to ramp up production. Last year, it delivered 15 of the jets, well below its target of 75. In the first quarter of 2026, it made just three deliveries. Analysts have cited several reasons for the low output, including earlier US restrictions on component exports and Comac’s focus on quality over speed. Last year, Washington placed temporary restrictions on exports of aircraft parts to China and slowed licence approvals. The US firm GE Aerospace is now “reluctant” to export aircraft engines to China because it can sell to Airbus and Boeing at higher prices and with less effort, according to independent aviation analyst Li Hanming. That was the reason CFM International – a joint venture between GE Aerospace and France’s Safran Aircraft Engines – failed to reach a deal with China during US President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing in May, Li said. CFM has supplied Leap-1C engines for the C919 in the past. “After last year’s embargo, China was angry and insisted that these parts should be prerequisites for Boeing orders,” Li said. China agreed to place a huge order for 200 Boeing aircraft during Trump’s visit in May, but the deal has yet to materialise. Prospects for a wider agreement appear to have faded, with no new deals mentioned during or after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington in late September. Neither Comac nor GE Aerospace immediately responded to requests for comment on Friday. Comac relies on imports of several critical components – including the engine and avionic and hydraulic systems – to produce the C919, experts believe. China was developing replacements for US parts, but they would be “a long time coming”, Aboulafia said. Aero Engine Corporation of China is developing its CJ-1000A turbofan aircraft engine for the C919. China is also working on sealants, paints and bolts to replace Western-made aircraft parts, according to an aircraft engineer. US export controls would spur China to perfect those components and Comac was unlikely to face long-term setbacks, said Victor Gao, vice-president of the Centre for China and Globalisation think tank in Beijing. “The only purpose (export controls) will serve is to make China completely self-reliant,” Gao said.