Washington is playing the China card of reliance on US aviation suppliers. The goal is to contest Beijing’s monopoly on rare earths used in U.S. car-making, chipmaking and aerospace. They are prepared to ratchet up the pressure if asked.

The slowdown has shown up in a few ways. Export licenses for airplane parts bound for China have been delayed in recent weeks. A proposed rule would make it easier to ban landing gear and other aircraft parts. Also included in a draft was aviation hydraulic fluid from US suppliers such as ExxonMobil. Parts for China’s state-owned planemaker, COMAC, are being restricted so the company can’t stockpile them.

Officials from both sides met in New York and Washington in September to talk about rare earths, farm trade and AI. The two sides agreed to cut tariffs on a range of goods and extend a trade truce that was due to expire on November 10, giving negotiators until January 10, 2027 to settle harder issues with Xi Jinping visiting Washington last week.

China has asked for spare parts for 200 Boeing jets it agreed to buy last spring, its first big deal with Chinese carriers in nearly a decade. Washington has been unwilling to guaranty those supplies, using the parts as bargaining chips for future concessions. What happened with that request is not clear. Boeing said it continues to provide parts and services to Chinese airlines under U.S. export regulations.

Planes don’t normally offer parts guaranties. The request from China highlights shortages across the industry and concern that trade tensions could flare up again. “We may have to do something with Boeing parts,” Trump said in October 2025, responding to Chinese curbs on rare earths.

Parts made in the U.S. are crucial for Boeing and Airbus jets flown by Chinese carriers, and for COMAC as it seeks to ramp up production of its own planes. Licenses for GE Aerospace engines, Honeywell navigation systems and other parts for COMAC were suspended last year, and for a short time a license was required for hydraulic fluid used on planes in China. Those curbs included things like ethane and chip-design software, but lasted just a few weeks.

Parts and materials shortages already have been caused by geopolitical tension, but aerospace has largely been spared from Trump’s tariffs. Delays linked to Chinese controls on rare earths continue to dog developers of thermal coatings for protecting jet engines. The commercial aircraft parts ban has raised industry fears that planes are being used as a trade negotiation tool.