The third prototype of China's home-built C919 takes off during its first test flight at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in Shanghai on December 28, 2018.Photo: VCG

US-based General Electric Co (GE) said on Monday that it is striving to obtain an engine export license for China's homegrown passenger jet C919 amid concerns that the US might impudently set off a new round of crackdowns on China's technology development.

"GE has provided products and services in the global marketplace for decades. We are working actively with the US government to obtain the export license for C919 engines," said a statement sent to the Global Times by the company on Monday.

"We work closely with regulatory agencies around the world to fulfill our responsibilities," the statement said.

GE's response to the Global Times came after media reports that said US officials are considering whether to stop US companies, including GE and Honeywell, from supplying engines and other components for China's C919 passenger jet, which is still undergoing flight tests, according to Reuters.

GE's engine is not irreplaceable, and the ban, if it comes about, will ultimately hurt the US rather than China, because it will push China to seek new suppliers and speed up its own research and development, Wang Ya'nan, a senior industry expert, told the Global Times.

Aero Engine Corp of China, the country's domestic aviation engine developer, on Monday announced that it has gradually resumed operation with suppliers' and partners' support, amid the ongoing battle against the novel coronavirus assault, which has delayed almost every industry's resumption after the Spring Festival. 

On its official WeChat account, the group, which has many subsidiaries across China, said that it "has gradually resumed operation with an orderly pace by introducing new working measures to recover production while emphasizing epidemic prevention and control."

China's passenger jet-related shares surged on Monday, with Shaanxi Aerospace Power Hi-tech Co rising by the daily limit of 10 percent to close at 8.67 yuan ($1.24) in Shanghai.