China’s newest foray into commercial jets, a 737 look-alike called the C919, is nosing into Boeing’s backyard.

The proposed aircraft may become a significant competitor to Boeing’s cash cow 737, especially in one of the world’s fastest-growing markets, China itself.

But the state of Washington is responding in a way that might have been controversial in years past—it’s helping local aerospace suppliers land work with the foreign competitor.

So many suppliers signed up for an October 16 presentation about contract opportunities with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, or Comac, that state Department of Commerce officials moved the meeting to a larger venue in a downtown Seattle office building. By midweek the second facility had maxed out at 65 attendees, and organizers said they would email the presentations to those who couldn’t get in.

“It’s an opener to give some of these companies a look to see if there’s anything to do,” said Bill King, who supports the aerospace sector for the state Commerce Department.

The meeting is being led by John Evans, managing director of Tractus Asia, Commerce’s contract representative in China .

The planned Chinese aircraft and its smaller cousin, a regional jet called the ARJ21, mark that country’s expansion into commercial aviation, which could threaten the longtime duopoly of Boeing and Airbus, increase the pressures against Boeing, and force the U.S. plane maker to globalize further in order to stay competitive.

However, suppliers see opportunity in the fact that Chinese companies can make only about 25 percent of the parts the C919 will need, said Evans, who has been in contact with Sinochem International Tendering Co., Ltd., which is finding suppliers for Shanghai-based Comac.

Two significant U.S. suppliers, Crane Aerospace & Electronics and Esterline Technologies Corp., already are doing work for Comac. Both make parts for the smaller ARJ21, and both hope to win business with the larger C919 when it enters production.

“We’re taking the C919 very seriously,” said Nigel Duncan, group vice president of sales and marketing for Crane Aerospace, in Burbank, California. Duncan said he expects Crane will supply such components as proximity sensors, which detect the positions of wheels and flaps.

Esterline CEO Bob Cremin said the Bellevue-based company already has been named one of 10 prime contractors for the C919, after supplying flexible rubber seals called elastomers for the ARJ21.

“This next plane, since we’ve proven ourselves on elastomers, we expect to provide a broader range of componentry,” he said. “We think they’re going to emerge as one of the primary companies.”

Kevin Steck, chairman of the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance, a consortium of regional aerospace suppliers, was positive about the state-sponsored meeting for companies interested in supplying parts for the Chinese aircraft.