On Tuesday, CBS News Senior Transportation and National Correspondent Kris Van Cleave stated that the Chinese C919 airliner is an example of China using forced intellectual property transfer and espionage to develop a product that can be sold for cheaper to undercut other manufacturers and possibly cost the American economy “up to $1.5 trillion over the next 20 years.”
During a report on “CBS Mornings,” Van Cleave said, “It’s been a top strategic goal for over a decade, a large, low-cost domestic airliner, positioning China to one day capture one of the world’s largest markets for jets, potentially costing the U.S. economy up to $1.5 trillion over the next 20 years.”
He also stated, “60% of the plane’s components are the results of deals with America’s top aerospace companies.” And noted that China usually requires companies who wish to do business in the country to transfer their intellectual property.
Later, on “CBS News Primetime,” Van Cleave discussed Chinese corporate espionage involving the C919 and stated that while the C919 won’t be in American airports any time soon, “That’s not necessarily the plan for this airplane. The thought is, have it dominate the Chinese market over time — which, in the next few years, will become the largest market for jets — and then, I think where you’ll start to see it is…the developing world, where they can offer an airplane — their whole plan is to offer an airplane that competes with the Airbus A320 and the [Boeing] 737 at a much lower price. And some of the ways they’ve been able to do that is certainly, it appears, espionage is a factor and then these joint ventures and acquiring technology to build the plane.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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