China Orders 200 Boeing Jets After Trump-Xi Summit

CNBC reported Thursday that President Donald Trump disclosed China will purchase 200 Boeing jets following his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump made the announcement in a Fox News interview, saying Xi had personally agreed to the purchase. The order exceeds the 150 aircraft Boeing had internally anticipated from the talks.

A Deal Bigger Than Boeing Expected

Trump framed the number as a win, noting the manufacturer had hoped for 150 planes but landed 200. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg had previously suggested publicly that the US-China summit represented a significant commercial opening for the company. Ortberg accompanied Trump on the trip alongside executives from other major American corporations. Neither Boeing nor the White House had officially commented on the deal by the time CNBC published its report.

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Boeing’s Long Wait for a China Order

The deal would mark a dramatic reversal for Boeing in one of aviation’s largest markets. The planemaker has gone almost ten years without securing a significant Chinese order. Over that period, Beijing shifted purchasing toward Airbus, Boeing’s primary European rival. The gap left a visible hole in Boeing’s commercial backlog and added pressure to a manufacturer already navigating production and safety scrutiny.

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Analysts Had Penciled In an Even Larger Number

Wall Street had been optimistic heading into the summit. Analysts at Jefferies estimated a potential Chinese aircraft order could reach as many as 500 planes, making the 200-jet figure a more conservative outcome than some forecasts assumed. Trump did not specify which Boeing models would be included in the purchase. Analysts had broadly expected the order to feature hundreds of 737 Max narrowbody jets, Boeing’s top-selling commercial aircraft. Boeing shares closed down 4.73% on Thursday before recovering modestly in after-hours trading.

Market Reaction Muted Despite Headline Win

The stock’s Thursday decline suggested investors were already pricing in a deal and perhaps hoping for a larger figure closer to analyst estimates. Ortberg’s remarks on Boeing’s most recent earnings call had been deliberately vague about scale. He told analysts the number of planes was large but declined to specify further, keeping market expectations elevated heading into the summit.

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