The US president disclosed what he calls a “commitment” during a US-China summit in Beijing.
Chinese President Xi Jinping committed during an ongoing summit with US president Donald Trump to ordering 200 jets from US manufacturer Boeing, Trump said on 14 May.
Little else is known about the commitment, but such an agreement, if finalised, would mark a massive win for Boeing, which has struggled for years to secure Chinese deals amid a protracted period of tense US-China economic and military relations.
Trump disclosed the commitment to Fox News on 14 May when asked about his discussions with Xi at the US-China summit.
“We had a very good meeting… We want things from them,” Trump said. “One thing he agreed to today — he’s going to order 200 jets, Boeing. Two hundred big ones. That’s a lot of jobs.”
“I think it was a commitment… a statement,” Trump added.
His comments come during a state visit by Trump to Beijing. He travelled there with a contingent of US businesspeople that reportedly includes Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg and GE Aerospace CEO Larry Culp.
“Boeing wanted 150. He got 200,” Trump tells Fox News, apparently referring to Ortberg.
Neither Boeing nor the White House immediately responds to requests for comment.
Boeing’s business ties with China seem to have withered in recent years, a consequence of broader strain between Washington and Beijing that has included a lengthy trade war and escalating political and military tension over Taiwan.
Chinese airlines slowed deliveries of Boeing jets to a trickle for several years following the 737 Max grounding in 2019. Boeing resumed deliveries of the type in late 2020 but Chinese customers did not start receiving them until 2024.
Chinese orders have also been few for Boeing in recent years, while competitor Airbus has landed billions of dollars in aircraft deals from Chinese carriers.
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