China has committed to buying 200 aircraft from Boeing and could eventually expand that order to 750, President Donald Trump said Friday as he departed a two-day summit in Beijing.
Trump told FOX News on Thursday that China would buy 200 Boeing jets but provided few details. He elaborated somewhat while speaking with reporters on Air Force One on Friday, mentioning for the first time a potential larger deal involving almost four times as many aircraft.
The president also said that GE Aerospace will supply engines for the airplanes.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg joined Trump on his state visit to China, raising expectations for a significant purchase. China has not ordered new commercial aircraft from Boeing in almost a decade, and the summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping was seen as an opportunity for the manufacturer to revive its business relationship with the country.
The 200-unit order announced by Trump on Thursday fell well short of industry estimates, which were closer to 500.
Trump himself remained the only source of information about the deal as of Friday. The White House, the Chinese government, Boeing, and GE have not commented on the matter.
China in recent years has strengthened ties with Airbus, and some of its largest airlines now have majority Airbus fleets. The country also has its own domestically produced regional and single-aisle narrowbody aircraft, the C909 and C919, and is developing a widebody type, the C929.
