Boeing extends push for deeper China ties

Boeing is stepping up efforts to bolster its ties with China as President Donald Trump’s trade fight threatens to give rival Airbus an edge in the world’s second-biggest aviation market. In one sign of potential trouble, a Chinese airline that’s been an exclusive operator of Boeing jets for more than 30 years is said to be in talks with Airbus for a potential order. As tensions escalate between Washington and Beijing, the aerospace giant just has to focus on what it can control, Randy Tinseth, Boeing’s VP for marketing, said Friday. “We’re in that place where we’re talking to both sides,” Tinseth said, referring to China and the US. “We’re telling our story of fair and free trade and how important that is. We’re working closely with our customers and continue to deliver a lot of airplanes to our Chinese customers.” Though China has -- for now -- spared passenger planes from its tariff hit list, Trump’s threat to tax everything the country exports to the US risks triggering a similar reaction from Beijing. China also has other potential countermeasures at hand, such as favoring Airbus over Boeing for future aircraft orders. On track to surpass the US as the world’s biggest air market by as early as 2022, China is crucial for both planemakers as they battle for dominance. At stake for Boeing is a market that it predicts will need more than 7,600 new aircraft worth over $1.2t in the 20 years through 2037, 6% more than from last year’s projection.<br/>