The Trump administration is reportedly fearful China may cut into the global jet-engine market. GE could pay the price.

(Image credit: JASON REDMOND/AFP via Getty Images)

last updated 15 February 2020

General Electric could face some consequences from the U.S.-China trade war, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The Trump administration is considering halting deliveries of jet engines co-produced by the American manufacturer for the development of a Chinese jetliner which is reportedly years behind schedule, a person familiar with the discussions said. The White House's fear is tied to broader efforts to protect American intellectual property from Beijing — Washington reportedly believes China could eventually reverse-engineer the engines, break into the global engine-market, and compete with U.S. business interests.

Unsurprisingly, GE is arguing against the proposal. On the one hand, the company says reverse-engineering the highly advanced techniques is a lot harder than the Trump administration seems to think. But, even if China was able to pull that off, they could have already started the process since the engines have been in the country for years. So, with that in mind, GE doesn't think he makes a whole lot of sense to cease the operations now.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.

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