Boeing Awaits China Deal as Superpowers Negotiate Broader Trade Pact – Beijing and Washington are in talks over a possible trade agreement that could include the purchase of hundreds of Boeing aircraft, according to people close to the discussions.
The potential deal, which may involve as many as 500 jets, would form part of a larger trade pact between the world’s two biggest economies if negotiations advance in the coming months.
Countries seeking to smooth trade relations with the U.S. have increasingly used aircraft orders as leverage. For example, Qatar Airways committed earlier this year to buy up to 210 Boeing 787 and 777X jets as part of a broader bilateral arrangement. Similar agreements with the U.K., Japan, and Indonesia have also included promises to purchase U.S.-made planes.
Talks with China, however, are more complicated. The two sides remain divided over sensitive trade and security issues, including access to critical minerals and supplies of advanced artificial intelligence chips. As a result, the timing of any potential aircraft order remains uncertain and depends heavily on broader negotiations.
Boeing also faces practical challenges. The company is still working through a significant backlog of undelivered jets — including more than 100 planes ordered by Chinese customers as of July. Earlier this year, Chinese airlines halted new Boeing purchases and even paused deliveries of existing orders amid heightened trade tensions and tariff concerns. Deliveries resumed once the two nations struck a temporary easing of terms.
During a recent earnings call, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg noted that the company still has 737 aircraft built before 2023 awaiting delivery to Chinese carriers. Clearing those planes, he said, would help wind down the so-called “shadow factory” that has been reconfiguring stored jets for customers.
