Trump says China may buy up to 750 Boeing planes

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that China has agreed to purchase 200 Boeing aircraft equipped with General Electric engines, and could commit to buying up to 750 planes in total.

Trump made the announcement to reporters, a day after describing the deal during a Fox News interview with host Sean Hannity as an order for "200 big ones." "It was sort of like a statement but I think it was a commitment," Trump had said on Thursday, adding, "That's a lot of jobs." The comments came during Trump's visit to Beijing, where trade and economic ties featured prominently in discussions between the two leaders.

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According to US media reports, the potential deal could involve around 500 Boeing 737 MAX single-aisle aircraft, along with nearly 100 wide-body jets including the 787 Dreamliner and 777 models. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who was part of the US delegation at the Beijing summit, had previously signalled optimism about a possible Chinese order.

"I think that's 100% dependent on the US-China negotiations and relations," Ortberg told analysts last month. Boeing did not immediately comment on Trump's latest remarks.
The last major Boeing order from China came in 2017, during Trump's first term, when Beijing agreed to purchase 300 aircraft in a deal estimated at $37 billion.

China remains one of Boeing's most critical international markets as the US aerospace major seeks to recover from years of regulatory scrutiny, supply-chain disruptions, and intensifying competition from Airbus.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that China has agreed to purchase 200 Boeing aircraft equipped with General Electric engines, and could commit to buying up to 750 planes in total.

Trump made the announcement to reporters, a day after describing the deal during a Fox News interview with host Sean Hannity as an order for "200 big ones." "It was sort of like a statement but I think it was a commitment," Trump had said on Thursday, adding, "That's a lot of jobs."

The comments came during Trump's visit to Beijing, where trade and economic ties featured prominently in discussions between the two leaders.

According to US media reports, the potential deal could involve around 500 Boeing 737 MAX single-aisle aircraft, along with nearly 100 wide-body jets including the 787 Dreamliner and 777 models.

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Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who was part of the US delegation at the Beijing summit, had previously signalled optimism about a possible Chinese order. "I think that's 100% dependent on the US-China negotiations and relations," Ortberg told analysts last month. Boeing did not immediately comment on Trump's latest remarks.

The last major Boeing order from China came in 2017, during Trump's first term, when Beijing agreed to purchase 300 aircraft in a deal estimated at $37 billion.

China remains one of Boeing's most critical international markets as the US aerospace major seeks to recover from years of regulatory scrutiny, supply-chain disruptions, and intensifying competition from Airbus.