I guess Boeing doesn’t have leverage over China to force them to cooperate with the investigation? They need the China business as much as China needs their planes?
I don't think it is because of the business aspect; Boeing in any investigation won't have leverage as the investigations are run by the local equivalents on the NTSB. To the extent there is any leverage, it's the NTSB that might have it, but it would be informal. The Chinese government is stonewalling this because they deem it politically inconvenient/embarrassing that they had a pilot suicide/murder take place. For instance see also https://admiralcloudberg.medium.com/the-crash-of-egyptair-fl... for the story of EgyptAir 990.
China government is stonewalling the safety report:
> And then they went silent. International standards require a final report as soon as possible – and, if more than 12 months, annual interim statements. They have not provided updates in over two yeras.
Number 2, it won't work in the long run, eventually they will have their Korean Air moment and go fuller in on transparency and modern crew resource management.
Or, it's also possible that they will continue a "case-by-case, only so far as it serves our interests" buffet-restaurant policy. Choosing Western ideals and practices can carry non-trivial political costs in China.
Definitely. I just don’t think it will work for them that well and it will force a change later. Especially when they start really selling their own planes internationally and want to make the world have confidence in them.