You are right, the large passenger jet engine market is very tough to enter and there is such a large knowledge base within the already established players making it difficult to catch up. China is one of the few countries that has the advantage of a sizeable domestic market and state controlled airlines. That should give them some time and market share to get a foot in the market. Even then I don't think that is enough to capture the entire home market. The home market only eases engine development, Chinese engine makers would still have to work hard on being market competitive.Hopefully the CJ-1000 opens a new avenue for China aviation engines
And it’s not just about the engine
Rolls Royce always come out on top not because they build brilliant engines but because also they achieve a edge over competitors when it comes to after sales support
Every single operating Rolls Royce engine has a a series of sensors throughout which monitors temperature, pressure and flow which is relayed via satellite to a control centre in derby England, 1 minute after take off all the data is monitored at the centre and any informalitys addressed
This kind of after sales service is built into service contract which could last up to 20
Years
This is just one example of the kind of market China is trying to enter, very very tough
Personally I don't expect China to be a top player in both quantitative and qualitative as aspects of large passenger jet engines within the next 20 years. In the long run I think China will make the transition as they are taking the necessary steps. In the near term they are still trying to establish a complete supply chain at home and we can expect to see a continuous stream of developments. Even 20 years would be too soon to establish a globally competitive player since China is trying to build the entire supply chain, not just design, assembly, and customer support. Military engines should have an easier time.