China moves to streamline dual-use material export procedures for civil aviation sector

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Tuesday that the draft Measures for the Administration of Export Certificates for Dual-Use Items Related to Civil Aviation, currently open for public comment, will shorten the supply cycle for passenger and cargo aircraft parts, help safeguard civil aviation safety, support the international development of the civil aviation industry, and enhance the competitiveness of related services.

Under the proposed measures, aviation companies will not need to apply for export licenses on a case-by-case basis when exporting relevant items for legitimate purposes such as repairs, maintenance and leasing. Instead, they could automatically obtain export certificates after registering and submitting the required information, allowing them to proceed with exports independently.

Aviation components such as engines and inertial navigation systems used in civil aviation are classified as dual-use items. The proposed measures are intended to implement the export certificate system under China's Regulations on Export Control of Dual-Use Items, which took effect in December 2024.

This marks the first implementation of the system under the regulations, facilitate tiered and categorized management of different export scenarios, further improve the export control system and enhance regulatory efficiency, the ministry said.

According to MOFCOM, the draft measures seek to prevent misuse of the simplified procedures by restricting eligible entities and circumstances and imposing post-export reporting obligations. The ministry would also coordinate with the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the General Administration of Customs to promptly prevent risky exports and safeguard national security and interests.

For low-risk transactions, such as overseas repairs and spare parts exports, registration would allow exports to proceed without further case-by-case approval. Compared with the manual review and paper documentation required under the existing approval system, the proposed procedures would enable paperless customs clearance.

The proposed changes come amid continued expansion of China's civil aviation industry. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the country's airlines carried 770 million passengers in 2025, up 5.5 percent year-on-year, while air cargo and mail transport rose 13.3 percent to 10.17 million tons

China had 4,574 commercial transport aircraft at the end of 2025, including 220 domestically manufactured aircraft, according to the CAAC. The expanding fleet underscores the importance of aircraft maintenance, spare parts supply and related aviation services.

MOFCOM said that it would further improve the draft based on public feed-back and work toward its early adoption to facilitate compliant exports by aviation-related companies.