Boeing went to China to sell planes. Beijing is buying something else

When Air Force One touched down in Beijing, one of the most photographed passengers was Boeing’s chief executive, Kelly Ortberg, there to close a deal. Washington had come to sell aircraft. Beijing was buying something else.The last time this scene played out in 2017, China signed an agreement for 300 Boeing aircraft. Since then, it has pursued an industrial programme aimed at reducing dependence on precisely such orders. That effort has not failed, but neither has it advanced at the pace imagined. The gap between delay and abandonment is what gives last week’s agreement significance.China needs Boeing aircraft. Passenger demand continues to grow across major cities and regional hubs: Chinese airlines require hundreds more narrowbody jets over the coming decade. China" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="23993" data-entity-type="organization">Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac), the state-backed maker of the C919, remains years from matching Boeing or Airbus in manufacturing depth and global service capability. Production ambitions still exceed deliveries, with Comac depending heavily on foreign components and technical expertise.