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Beijing, but make it a negotiation
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg is heading into the China conversation with a very Boeing-sized prize on the table: a potential order for hundreds of jets. The hitch? It’s not really a normal sales pitch. The deal may depend on what happens when Trump and Xi start jawing over trade and the usual geopolitical chess board.
Why investors should care
For Boeing, a jumbo China order would be exactly the kind of headline that makes Wall Street sit up straighter. China is one of the biggest long-term demand pools for commercial aircraft, so a win there can mean fuller order books, better production visibility, and fewer “yes, but…” questions from analysts.
But this is also a reminder that Boeing doesn’t just sell airplanes — it sells them inside a global politics escape room. If the negotiations go sideways, those hundreds of jets could stay in the hypothetical pile. If they go well, Boeing gets a juicy growth headline and maybe a bit more breathing room with investors who’ve been waiting for clean wins.
The fine print
- The reported deal is still potential, not signed.
- Ortberg joining Trump’s delegation makes this feel less like a routine customer meeting and more like a diplomatic sales tour.
- The market will care less about the photo op and more about whether this turns into actual backlog.
Big picture: Boeing doesn’t need another headline that says “maybe.” It needs one that says “ordered.”