China has agreed to purchase 200 Boeing jets, US President Donald Trump announced during a visit to China on May 14, calling it a commitment that could create many jobs [1, 2]. Trump said in a Fox News interview, "One thing he agreed to today, he's going to order 200 jets ... Boeing wanted 150, they got 200" and described the deal as "a statement but I think it was a commitment" [1, 2].
The initial order for 200 aircraft could expand to as many as 750 if Boeing meets performance expectations, Trump added, warning that the bigger deal would depend on ongoing US-China negotiations [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. Boeing confirmed China's commitment and expressed optimism for further orders, with a company statement saying the trip "accomplished our major goal of reopening the China market to orders for Boeing aircraft" [6, 7].
The deal also covers General Electric engines, with China agreeing to buy 400 to 450 GE aerospace engines [3, 4, 5, 8]. Boeing and GE Aerospace CEOs attended meetings with Chinese officials, including the National Development and Reform Commission, to discuss cooperation after the visit [3, 5, 8].
Details on specific aircraft models and delivery schedules have not been disclosed, and Chinese officials have not officially confirmed the purchase orders, stating that trade teams are still negotiating market access and tariff issues [9, 10, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 7]. A Chinese official, Wang Yi, said the working teams are "still negotiating related details and will lock down results as soon as possible" [5].
Market analysts and media had expected a larger initial order of roughly 500 jets. Boeing shares fell about 4% after the announcement, reflecting that investor expectations may have been higher [2, 10, 3, 4]. China's last large Boeing purchase was in 2017 when it ordered 300 planes worth about $37 billion [2, 10, 7].
Additional commercial agreements from the visit include billions of dollars in US soybean purchases over the next three years [11, 5]. The Boeing 737 MAX’s return to the Chinese market, following fatal crashes in 2018 that halted sales, was central to the discussions, according to reports [7].
The diplomatic visit by Trump to China from May 13 to 15 included meetings with President Xi Jinping where trade deals were negotiated, including the Boeing aircraft order [9, 5, 6, 8]. Boeing and GE officials held post-visit talks with Chinese regulators on May 15 to advance cooperation [8].
