Abstract:  Under the background of fierce competition and severe situation between the countries all over the world, the key technology of complex products has become the most important strategical resources for which all the countries are competing in the development of economy. Thus, it is very important and urgent to have a breakthrough in the key technology of complex products. As a latecomer, China is faced with some disadvantages, such as lack of basic research experiences and technical restrictions from first movers. However, quite different from some latecomers, China has the ability to concentrate the whole country′s power on the important thing, and has large market potential as well as the most complete industrial supporting facilities. These new situations cannot be explained by the existing theoretical technology catch-up model. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to study China′s technology catch-up mode of complex products under different historical, cultural and institutional backgrounds and try to explore new modes of technology catch-up.
   C919′s success has an important practical significance, because its appearance has made a breakthrough against China′s longstanding constraint on the development of trunk aircraft. C919 marks China′s historical breakthrough in the field of complex products innovation. This study adopts the exploratory single case study method and takes Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd ′s success in C919 as an example with the purpose of reviewing the development and technology catch-up process of C919. Through three stages of preparation, field investigation and modeling, data are collected and analyzed carefully. Finally, three conclusions are drawn in this research.
   The findings are as follows. First of all, China′s technological catch-up starts with overall design which is at the top of the aviation industry chain. This is because the technological innovation path of complex products is different from that of ordinary products, and it is difficult to introduce technology and start with reverse development. Second, latecomer countries succeed in technology catch-up of complex products with a unique pattern, which is constructed of main manufacturer and component suppliers. This paper has studied the meaning and the characteristics of growth-oriented main manufacturer-supplier relationship. The technology catch-up of structural parts mainly adopts the joint tackle mode of main manufacturers and domestic suppliers, while that of the system parts mainly adopts the joint cooperation mode of domestic manufacturers and foreign suppliers. Third, an organic unity of national will and enterprise ambition is vital for the success of the technology catch-up for latecomer countries. Besides, the growth-oriented main manufacturer-supplier model is oriented towards technological catch-up and common growth while the cost-oriented main manufacturer-suppliers model is oriented towards low-cost global value chain procurement. By contrast, the former emphasizes the breakthrough in key technologies and industrial upgrading while the latter emphasizes the optimal cost and highest efficiency.
   This paper is of great significance both in theory and practice. On the one hand, it fills the gap of how to catch up in the field of complex products, such as trunk aircraft. On the other hand, it provides important management ideas and reference for latecomer enterprises to make a breakthrough in stranglehold technology.

Key words: complex product, main manufacturer-supplier mode, latecomer technology catch-up, C919 trunk aircraft