"so legally the jet can't even fly anywhere else other than China for now."
Or countries could just accept Chinese type certification alongside the FAA, EASE, and TC certificates. Granted, it would only be for domestic or regional flights at most - but that's a lot.
Which is what Nigeria is considering with the C919.
That's what happened with the Xian MA60, but it was still a disaster due to supply chain complexities. Even the relatively established UAC (Russia) couldn't handle the supply chain and maintenance of their most recent SSJ-100, even to friendly countries (Cuba) or close by European ones (Ireland).
Or countries could just accept Chinese type certification alongside the FAA, EASE, and TC certificates. Granted, it would only be for domestic or regional flights at most - but that's a lot.
Which is what Nigeria is considering with the C919.