Boeing secures China's commitment to buy 200 aircraft
Boeing confirmed on Friday that China has committed to purchasing 200 aircraft following a visit to Beijing by US President Donald Trump, in a deal that could eventually expand to include orders for as many as 750 additional planes, News.Az reports, citing AFP.
The US aerospace giant said the agreement marked a major breakthrough in restoring access to the Chinese market after years of tensions and restrictions affecting aircraft deliveries and new purchases.
“We had a very successful trip to China and accomplished our major goal of reopening the China market to orders for Boeing aircraft,” the company said in a statement. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg was part of the US delegation that traveled to Beijing.
According to Boeing, the agreement currently includes an “initial commitment” for 200 aircraft, while additional orders are expected to follow in later stages.
“This included an initial commitment for 200 aircraft and we expect further commitments will follow after this initial tranche,” the company stated, without disclosing which aircraft models were involved in the negotiations.
The company also thanked the Trump administration “for making this milestone happen,” adding that it now looked forward to continuing to meet China’s growing aircraft demand.
In Boeing’s most recent 20-year commercial aviation outlook, published in June last year, the company projected that around 44,000 new aircraft would be built globally by 2044 to replace aging fleets and meet increasing travel demand.
Roughly half of that projected demand is expected to come from China, South Asia and Southeast Asia, regions viewed as crucial growth markets for both Boeing and its main European rival, Airbus.
China’s last major Boeing order came in 2017 during Trump’s first presidential term, when Beijing agreed to purchase 300 single-aisle and wide-body aircraft in a deal valued at approximately $37 billion.
Trump had previewed the latest agreement during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday, saying China intended to order “200 big ones.”
“I think it was a commitment,” Trump said. “That’s a lot of jobs.”
Speaking later to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning from China, Trump claimed the agreement also contained “a promise of 750 planes, which will be by far the largest order ever, if they do a good job with the 200.”
US media outlets have reported for months that Beijing was preparing a large Boeing order that could include around 500 single-aisle 737 MAX aircraft as well as roughly 100 larger 787 Dreamliners and 777 jets.
The largest aircraft order by number of planes remains the 500-Airbus A320 purchase made by Indian airline IndiGo.
China was the final country to reauthorize operations of Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft after two fatal crashes involving Lion Air in 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines in 2019 killed a combined 346 people.
The 737 MAX family, Boeing’s best-selling aircraft line, was grounded worldwide for 20 months following the accidents. Flights resumed in the United States in late 2020 and in Europe in early 2021, while China only approved the aircraft’s return to service in 2023.
Beijing suspended all Boeing deliveries in 2019. In December 2023, Chinese regulators approved deliveries of Boeing 787 Dreamliners again, followed one month later by approvals for 737 MAX aircraft.
Deliveries were temporarily halted again in mid-2024 because of concerns related to lithium battery systems in several aircraft models.
Boeing, which remains the largest US exporter by dollar value, was also affected by the tariff dispute that intensified after Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
In response, Beijing barred Chinese airlines and companies from placing new Boeing orders or accepting previously ordered aircraft.
However, a trade truce reached between the United States and China late last year allowed Boeing to resume normal business operations with Chinese customers.
As of the end of last month, Boeing had 6,814 aircraft on order worldwide, including 4,371 units from the 737 MAX family, representing an estimated total order value of around $600 billion.
By Nijat Babayev
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