Two people briefed on the talks said prospects are fading for China to make a new Boeing purchase commitment at Thursday’s Trump-Xi summit. Boeing is instead seeking to finalize May’s provisional deal for 200 planes, rather than secure hundreds of additional orders.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said about 140 jetliner orders were in a “good state,” with another 10 being finalized. One person briefed on the matter said final details for part of the May deal could be announced at the summit if contracts are completed. Boeing had been effectively shut out of China since 2017, while Airbus expanded its market share there.
China specialist Scott Kennedy said jetliner deals were not a top priority at the summit, with officials more focused on extending the trade truce and discussing AI safeguards, Taiwan arms sales, and soybean and rare-earth trade. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the truce, due to expire November 10, had been extended by two months to allow work on a potentially larger trade deal.
