Boeing sells China 300 planes, agrees plant: Xinhua
Shanghai (AFP) - US aerospace giant Boeing has reached deals with Chinese firms to sell 300 aircraft and set up a completion centre in China, state media and its local partner said Wednesday, as President Xi Jinping began a visit to the United States.
The massive order, which was not immediately confirmed by Boeing, demonstrates the vital importance of the Chinese market despite a growth slowdown that threatens to slow the expansion of air travel.
The state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) also reached an agreement with Boeing to set up a "completion centre" in China for its narrow-body 737 airliners, Xinhua said.
It represents a step-up in Boeing's competition in China with European rival Airbus, which already has a manufacturing presence there.
The Xinhua report, datelined from Seattle where Xi on Tuesday started his first US state visit, gave no details of the models bought by a group of Chinese companies or the value of the sale.
Aviation analyst Shukor Yusof described it as the biggest ever order by a country.
Xi is due to visit Boeing's main aeroplane factory in Washington state on Wednesday.
"China's rapidly growing aviation market plays a crucial role in our current and future success," Boeing chairman Jim McNerney said in a statement last week.
