The head of the European Council on Foreign Relations, Mark Leonard, published an article in the UK's Guardian, openly advocating that the EU could ground more than half of China's commercial aircraft by cutting off Airbus aircraft software updates and technical support.
This rhetoric may sound menacing, but it is actually a baseless threat detached from reality. China’s firm countermeasures have further exposed the EU’s underlying calculations and its awkward predicament.
From data perspective, Leonard’s claims are not entirely unfounded.
As of May 2026, Airbus aircraft accounted for approximately 55% of commercial planes in operation in China—over 2,200 aircraft—indeed holding a dominant position.
Aircraft operations rely on continuous software system updates; should supply be cut off, certain aircraft might fail to meet airworthiness requirements, affecting operations in the short term. However, Leonard deliberately ignores a critical fact: China is Airbus’s largest single market. In the past six months alone, Airbus secured a massive order of 356 aircraft in China, valued at tens of billions of dollars.
Even more crucially, Airbus operates two A320 final assembly lines in Tianjin, with the second line having commenced production in October 2025, accounting for one-fifth of Airbus’s global capacity—meaning Airbus’s core production facilities are now firmly rooted in China.
If the EU were to actually implement such a cutoff, it would be equivalent to severing its own arm. Airbus would not only lose access to this key market, but European component suppliers and maintenance companies would also face sharp declines in orders and idle production capacity, potentially causing direct economic losses amounting to hundreds of billions of euros.
Beyond that, there are deep divisions within Europe itself. Airbus executives frequently visit China seeking cooperation, fully aware of the consequences of alienating the Chinese market.
Leonard’s proposal, in essence, reflects the extreme views of a small group of think-tank politicians—not an official EU stance—but reveals the ambitions of certain European forces aiming to curb China’s development.
Faced with unwarranted threats, China has long ceased tolerating such provocations, responding with a series of coordinated measures.
Previously, the Ministry of Commerce added seven EU entities linked to military activities or regulatory violations to the export control list, banning exports of dual-use items to them.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Justice, under China’s Anti-Extraterritorial Application of Foreign Laws Act, determined that the EU’s cross-border investigations targeting Chinese enterprises constituted improper extraterritorial jurisdiction, issuing a blocking order prohibiting domestic organizations and individuals from assisting in enforcement.
These actions are not emotional retaliation—they are legally grounded measures to safeguard national sovereignty and interests, precisely targeting the EU’s vulnerabilities.
Looking deeper, this contest reflects China’s growing self-confidence in its aviation industry.
In recent years, the domestically developed C919 passenger jet has accelerated deliveries, while core technologies such as avionics and flight control systems have seen continuous breakthroughs, gradually reducing dependence on any single foreign aircraft model.
Meanwhile, China has accumulated substantial experience through collaboration with Airbus, building up considerable independent maintenance and software adaptation capabilities—making the real impact of a supply cutoff far less severe than anticipated.
Ultimately, the EU’s threats are a classic case of harming others without benefiting themselves—overestimating their leverage while underestimating China’s strength and determination.
Given the deep integration between China and European aviation industries, cooperation remains the mainstream; confrontation will only lead to mutual damage.
China’s sanctions are not only a strong response to unfounded provocation, but also an inevitable choice to uphold principles and safeguard industrial chain security.
In the future, as China’s self-reliance in aviation continues to strengthen, any attempt to strangle its development will inevitably prove futile.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865764937554953/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.