US President Donald Trump said China has agreed to purchase at least 200 commercial aircraft from Boeing, and up to 750 if certain conditions are met – a commitment which would end a nearly decade-long order drought – following a state visit to Beijing, where Trump said a purchase of up to 450 aircraft engines from General Electric was also agreed upon.
“We made a lot of great trade deals, including over 200 planes for Boeing, with a promise of 750 planes, which would be by far the largest order ever, if they do a good job with the 200, which I’m sure they will,” Trump told journalists on Air Force One after departing China.
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“The engines, so they are buying General Electrics, approximately 400, 450 engines.”
No official announcement has been made about purchase commitments at the summit, which concluded on Friday afternoon.
Another “Boeing gift” for Trump would follow a precedent set in 2017, when a US$37 billion, 300-plane contract was announced during his first state visit to China.
A major aircraft purchase from China – the world’s second-largest aviation market – had been widely anticipated for months as a way for Beijing to address the bilateral trade imbalance long criticised by Washington.
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On Thursday, Trump said in a Fox News interview that he and President Xi Jinping had discussed China’s order for Boeing planes in their meeting.