“BIG” PLANES
China’s last order from Boeing dates back to 2017, when Trump went to Beijing at the start of his first White House term. At that time, it ordered 300 single-aisle and wide-body planes – a mega-deal valued at US$37 billion.
On Thursday, Trump had said China planned to order “200 big ones”, in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity.
“I think it was a commitment,” the president said. “That’s a lot of jobs.”
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew home from China, Trump said the deal included “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 have reported for several months that Beijing was poised to make a major order from Boeing that would include 500 single-aisle 737 MAXs and about 100 larger 787 Dreamliners and 777s.
The overall record in terms of number of planes for an aircraft order came from IndiGo, which purchased 500 Airbus A320s.
China was the last country in the world to reauthorize flights by Boeing 737 MAXs, after two fatal accidents on Lion Air in 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines in March 2019 that left a total of 346 people dead.
The 737 MAX family, Boeing’s top seller, was grounded worldwide for 20 months after the accidents. It returned to the skies in the United States in November 2020 and in Europe in January 2021 – but only in 2023 in China.
In 2019, Beijing had suspended all deliveries of Boeing aircraft. Four years later, in December 2023, it gave the green light to a delivery of 787 Dreamliners, and for 737 MAXs one month later.
Chinese regulators again halted deliveries for a few weeks in mid-2024 over a lithium battery issue in several models.
Boeing, the biggest US exporter by dollar value, was caught up in the tariff war launched when Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
Beijing retaliated by forbidding Chinese companies from ordering Boeing jets – or receiving those already ordered.
The world’s top two economies reached a trade war truce late last year, allowing Boeing to resume normal activity with Chinese customers.
As of late last month, Boeing had 6,814 planes on order, including 4,371 737 MAXs, for a total value of an estimated US$600 billion.
