After 200-plane deal, China eyeing more Boeing jets from US ahead of Xi Jinping's Washington visit

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that China has shown a strong interest in purchasing additional Boeing planes, adding that the Trump administration intends to raise the matter during Chinese President Xi Jinping's expected visit to the United States in September. “They agreed to 200 aeroplanes during the visit. We will see if they commit to a larger number when Xi Jinping arrives in Washington,” Bessent stated in his budget request testimony to the Senate Finance Committee.

China’s agreement to acquire 200 Boeing planes was among the major outcomes of US President Donald Trump's visit to Beijing last month. The White House described the deal as an “initial purchase," suggesting the possibility of further orders in the future.

According to Saurabh Gupta, Resident Senior Fellow at the Institute for China-America Studies, the Boeing deal was closely linked to the continued supply of engines and components required for China’s domestically developed C919 passenger aircraft programme. “Once there is sufficient trust in the assurance of flow, the number of Boeing jet purchases could reach up to an additional 500-550 more,” he predicted.

Bessent’s statement followed a day after the US Trade Representative’s office declared a public comment process related to the newly created US-China Board of Trade, a method to manage bilateral trade between the two biggest economies of the world.

Investors' disappointment over deal

Meanwhile, days ago, investors had expressed disappointment over the size of the Boeing deal, considering it as smaller than a nearly 500-plane package, according to Reuters. But at a US conference, the planemaker's CEO, Kelly Ortberg, stated that his trip to China alongside Trump ​had been "super successful" and reopened the market to the narrowbody planes of Boeing. This marks the first time in nearly ⁠a decade since an effective order freeze due to trade tensions between Washington and Beijing.

"It's a good start. And I'm very confident ​that keeping that market open, that's an initial tranche of aircraft, and there will be more to come," Ortberg said. According to a source familiar with the matter, the commitment to purchase 200 aircraft represents a completely new agreement and does not include any previously undisclosed orders. The source also noted that delivery timelines for the jets have not yet been finalised.