(Yicai) July 4 -- The United States has agreed to allow American aerospace firms, including GE Aerospace, to resume supplying key aircraft components to China, informed sources told Yicai today, adding that Boeing has started delivering planes to Chinese airlines again amid easing trade tensions.

According to the sources, the US government has relaxed export restrictions on certain aviation components -- a shift that is expected to help sustain the production of China’s first domestically developed passenger jet, the C919.

In June, the US Department of Commerce had suspended export licenses for certain American firms supplying products and technologies used in the C919’s development. Despite the month-long disruption, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, which develops the C919, maintained its delivery schedule thanks to a sufficient inventory.

Certain parts of the C919 remain heavily reliant on US-made systems, including engines and avionics. For example, its LEAP-1C engine, jointly manufactured by GE Aerospace and France’s Safran Aircraft Engines, requires US export approval. Other US-supplied components include Honeywell International’s auxiliary power unit, wheels and brakes, flight control systems, and atmospheric and navigation systems.

Sources also noted that three Boeing 737 Max narrow-body aircraft and one Boeing 787 wide-body aircraft, which had been returned to the US in April due to rising trade friction, are now once again being delivered to Chinese carriers.

Since mid-May, Chinese airlines have benefited from a 90-day “buffer period” following progress in US-China trade negotiations. During this period, Chinese carriers continue to pay the original import tariff rates -- 5 percent for narrow-body aircraft and 1 percent for wide-body aircraft.

China remains Boeing’s largest overseas market. In 2018, one of Boeing’s strongest years, a quarter of its global aircraft deliveries went to Chinese customers. According to Cirium fleet data, the American planemaker has delivered 20 aircraft to China so far this year, with another 29 scheduled for delivery before year-end.

Editor: Emmi Laine