Boeing’s CEO, Kelly Ortberg, along with GE Aerospace’s CEO, Larry Culp, extended their gratitude to President Trump for facilitating a historic $96 billion order from Qatar Airways.
The aerospace leader is currently engaged in talks to sell as many as 500 airplanes to China, a move that is reportedly a central component of the trade discussions between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to Bloomberg sources.
While Boeing is in the process of finalizing the details—like which models will be included and the delivery timeline—the agreement hinges significantly on both nations easing the long-standing trade disputes that date back to Trump’s initial term in office.
A recent loss for Boeing, as insiders mentioned, was the departure of Alvin Liu, a key figure in Boeing’s China operations, which has led to Carol Shen stepping in as interim president for Boeing China.
China halts purchases of Boeing Jets
Boeing’s negotiation to sell to China is seen as crucial, particularly as it shines a light on the challenges within the Boeing-China aerospace trade relationship.
China lifts Boeing delivery ban after negotiating tariff reductions with the U.S.
From 2017 to 2021, Boeing landed significant orders from China, often coinciding with high-profile visits during Trump’s presidency. However, since then, major purchases have slowed, largely due to trade issues and related tariffs.
A similar agreement was attempted in 2023 under President Biden and Xi but ultimately fell through. If the current deal goes through, this could mark China’s first significant acquisition of Boeing jets since Trump’s previous visit.
Shortly after taking office again, Trump imposed sweeping tariffs, including a blanket 10% import duty, with some Chinese goods facing taxes as high as 145% for a brief period. While Chinese companies resumed some purchases around June, reminders of tariffs lingered; Chinese airlines had requested in April to halt buying aircraft-related products from U.S. firms due to these taxes.
Boeing is currently navigating trade agreements with specific nations. Despite some temporary pauses and extensions in tariff discussions, a comprehensive deal with China is still not within reach.
Last month, Trump remarked that a meeting between Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent and Chinese officials yielded good results, expressing optimism about meeting Xi by the year’s end.
