Boeing Co has urged the United States to distance human rights and other disputes separate from trade relations with Beijing,

They also warned European rival Airbus would gain if the U.S. planemaker were locked out of China.

Chief Executive Dave Calhoun told an online business forum he believed a major aircraft subsidy dispute with Europe could be resolved after 16 years of wrangling at the World Trade Organization, but contrasted this with the outlook on China.

“I think politically (China) is more difficult for this administration and it was for the last administration. But we still have to trade with our largest partner in the world: China,” he told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Aviation Summit.

Noting multiple disputes, he added: “I am hoping we can sort of separate intellectual property, human rights and other things from trade and continue to encourage a free trade environment between these two economic juggernauts. … We cannot afford to be locked out of that market. Our competitor will jump right in.”

Boeing and Airbus each sell about a quarter of their jetliners to China, which has edged past the United States as the world’s largest domestic travel market.

China typically makes block purchases for imported jets, often coinciding with U.S. or European diplomatic visits.

Boeing began to face questions over its share of the Chinese market as the United States and China waged an 18-month trade war under then-U.S. President Donald Trump, though China’s jet purchases have slowed across the board in recent years.

Recalled that President Joe Biden last month warned China would face “repercussions” for human rights abuses and said the United States would reassert its global role in speaking up on such issues.

Boeing’s most pressing concerns in China, analysts say, include the fate of its 737 MAX passenger jet, which was grounded worldwide for almost two years after two fatal crashes.

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U.S. regulators approved the jet to fly again in November, followed by Europe and major markets apart from China, whose regulator continues to voice major safety concerns.

China has promised a “step-by-step” approach toward approving the plane, but Western industry sources say concerns are growing that the technical process could become mired in the growing diplomatic standoff between Beijing and Washington.