CaliToday (24/9/2025): A delegation of U.S. lawmakers on a rare visit to Beijing has proposed a major deal to senior Chinese leaders that would see China commit to purchasing more Boeing aircraft, U.S. Representative Adam Smith, a Democrat, said at a press conference on Tuesday.
The urgency of the deal was underscored by U.S. Ambassador to China David Purdue, who stated he thought negotiations were in their "final days or weeks," adding that the agreement is "very important for the president."
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| Aerial view of Boeing planes |
Boeing is reportedly in talks to sell up to 500 airplanes to China, as Bloomberg reported last month. Such a deal would represent a massive breakthrough for the company in the world's second-largest aviation market, where orders have been stalled for years due to persistent U.S.-China trade tensions.
"It's been a long time since Boeing airplanes have been sold in China. We want to get that deal done," said Smith, who is leading the bipartisan delegation, when asked about the agreement. "It's a good company, a good product, and hopefully they'll be back selling planes in China."
The visit, which began on Sunday, marks the first U.S. House of Representatives delegation to China since 2019. U.S.-China relations deteriorated significantly in the years that followed, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.
This high-level engagement follows a phone call on Friday between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, as the world's two largest economies seek to improve ties beyond their current tariff truce.
Boeing is one of the largest exporters in the United States and has historically sent approximately a quarter of its aircraft to China. However, the aerospace giant has not secured a major purchase agreement from China since President Trump's first term. Ambassador Purdue noted that he had visited Boeing's plant in Tianjin, a city 150 km (95 miles) southeast of the Chinese capital, just last week.
The lawmakers met with China's second-highest official, Premier Li Qiang, on Sunday, and with economic czar He Lifeng and Defense Minister Dong Jun on Monday, where they pressed the need for increased military-to-military dialogue.
"I think when we've got hundreds to nearly a thousand nuclear weapons, it's time to start having that discussion to make sure we understand each other and don't stumble into any conflict," Smith stated at the press conference held at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.
Adam Smith is currently the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, which oversees the Department of Defense and the U.S. armed forces.
While President Trump has been particularly vocal about his tariff policies—targeting China with duties exceeding 100% earlier this year before rolling most of them back—the bilateral relationship is overshadowed by numerous other issues. These include U.S. restrictions on semiconductor chips, China's activities in the South China Sea, issues related to Taiwan, and the ownership of TikTok.
Another member of the delegation, Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, whose constituency includes Silicon Valley, also spoke on the issue of technological and economic competition with China.
