BEIJING, China — China has confirmed plans to purchase 200 Boeing aircraft in a major trade agreement with the United States following high-level talks between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
The deal marks one of the most significant commercial aviation agreements between the world’s two largest economies in recent years, signalling a cautious easing of trade tensions.
According to China’s Commerce Ministry, the agreement also includes US commitments to guarantee the supply of aircraft engine parts and key aviation components to Chinese carriers.
Trade truce and tariff talks
The two countries also agreed to work towards extending an existing tariff truce reached in October, while exploring potential tariff reductions on goods worth at least $30 billion.
The ministry said both sides are seeking to stabilise trade relations after years of tariff disputes and market restrictions.
The announcement followed President Xi’s separate talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, highlighting shifting global diplomatic engagements alongside US–China negotiations.
Boeing secures major market access
The White House said the agreement includes an initial commitment of more than 200 aircraft, with expectations of further orders in future phases.
US President Donald Trump said the deal could eventually expand to as many as 750 aircraft, which he described as potentially the largest aviation order in Boeing’s history.
“We made a lot of great trade deals, including over 200 planes for Boeing,” Trump said while speaking to journalists aboard Air Force One.
Boeing welcomes the agreement
Aircraft manufacturer Boeing said the deal represents a major reopening of the Chinese market to US aircraft orders.
The company confirmed that its Chief Executive Officer, Kelly Ortberg, was part of the US delegation that travelled to China during the negotiations.
“We had a very successful trip to China and accomplished our major goal of reopening the China market to orders for Boeing aircraft,” the company said in a statement.
Broader economic implications
The agreement also includes increased access for US agricultural exports into China, a key issue in ongoing trade negotiations between the two countries.
Officials from both sides had earlier reached preliminary understandings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which extended a tariff truce until November 2025.
That arrangement included partial tariff reductions by the United States and a pause in China’s restrictions on rare earth mineral exports.
