China weighs ending freeze on Boeing with 737 Max deal in US

Boeing may finally see a sales breakthrough for its 737 Max aircraft in China when presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping meet this week, ending a long commercial freeze in a critical overseas market for the US planemaker. The Chinese government is considering unveiling a commitment for Boeing’s 737 jetliner during the APEC Summit in San Francisco, as a signal of a recent thaw between the two nations, said people familiar with the matter who aren’t authorized to speak publicly. Terms of a potential agreement are still under discussion, and could change or fall apart before the heads of state meet on Wednesday, they cautioned. While the White House has made resuming military communications with China a top priority at the summit, the rare meeting between the two global leaders also provides an opportunity to reset trade on aerospace. A 737 Max agreement would mark an important breakthrough for Boeing, after it lost its market lead in China to arch-rival Airbus SE. The US manufacturer hasn’t made any significant sales of its best-selling narrowbody jets in China since at least 2018, before two crashes led to a global grounding of the model. Since then, tensions between the two governments have stifled commercial dealmaking. Boeing declined to comment. China’s Foreign Ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Xi isn’t expected to unveil a formal order for the 737 Max, Boeing’s largest source of revenue, said the people. Aircraft commitments falling short of a firm sale often take the form of a memorandum of understanding or letter of intent.<br/>