Why China Has Banned Exports Of The J-20 Stealth Fighter, For Now

It should come as no surprise that U.S. law bans the F-22 Raptor from being exported to any nation, including its allies. The Raptor is considered one of the world's most advanced fighter jets, even among the few fifth-generation fighters that are operational. If the technology that makes the Raptor so successful at its job fell into the wrong hands, it could put U.S. air superiority in severe jeopardy. 

In the same year that the F-22 fighter jet was discontinued, the Raptor's Chinese-built rival, the J-20 "Mighty Dragon," debuted for the world to see. And in a similar fashion, China prohibited its fifth-generation stealth fighter, or any part of it, from being sold to outside nations out of fear that the technology could be used against them. China said that unless the U.S. sold the F-22 to American allies, China had no need to export its stealth fighter to Chinese allies. 

There are other possible reasons for China withholding the J-20 from other nations. It's believed some Russian technology is used in the plane, so it's possible that there's some kind of deal that requires Russia's permission before it can be exported. It could also be that the J-20 isn't anywhere near the same league as the F-22, and China doesn't want that knowledge to get out.

If China were to export the J-20 and it does contain some groundbreaking technology Beijing's adversaries aren't already using, it could lead to a more intense arms race among fifth-generation fighter jets than what's already in place. For the most part, countries are merely building the best fighter jets they know how, possibly using technology from exportable fifth-gen fighters like the F-35 Lightning II. Under this theory, if any Chinese adversary got their hands on proprietary Chinese technology, they could reverse-engineer it to build on it and make something even more advanced. It could lead to a level of escalation comparable to that in nuclear arms.

Still, the idea that the Mighty Dragon is more of a concern than other fifth-gen fighters doesn't stand to reason, so it's more likely that China doesn't want its adversaries to see how far behind its competition the J-20 is. If there's one advantage China has over the West, it's its ability to mass produce products of all kinds at an impressive rate. And yet, as of 2020, China's global weapons exports accounted for only 5.2% of the international arms market.

Beijing might not be willing to part with J-20, but that doesn't completely take China out of the lucrative stealth fighter market. Shenyang Aircraft Corporation has been developing the FC-31 for some time, building it with the ability to export it. There's also the fourth-generation JF-17, the country's main exported fighter jet.