Boeing’s China Dreams: All Eyes On Trump’s State Visit As Kelly Ortberg Joins Him In Hopes To End Years-Long Drought

• In April 2025, Beijing reportedly directed China's domestic airlines — Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern to immediately stop accepting Boeing deliveries.
• According to a Bloomberg report, Boeing had entered talks to sell as many as 500 aircraft to China in August 2025. 
• In the latest earnings call late last month, Boeing's CEO said China could soon place an order for a “big number” of Boeing planes, breaking a years-long drought for the company.

Shares of Boeing Co. (BA) drew investor attention on Thursday after a CNBC report indicated that Boeing Chief Executive Officer Kelly Ortberg would join President Donald Trump on his China visit next week, on May 14 and May 15.

China froze Boeing deliveries in April 2025 when Beijing ordered its airlines to stop taking new jets amid a tariff war that saw U.S. duties on Chinese goods hit 145% and Chinese retaliation reach 125%, according to a Bloomberg report.

Beijing directed China's domestic airlines — Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern — to immediately stop accepting Boeing deliveries. The three carriers alone had been scheduled to take delivery of 45, 53, and 81 Boeing jets, respectively, between 2025 and 2027, the report stated.

China simultaneously also told its carriers to stop purchasing American aircraft parts and components, a move that widened the pain across Boeing's entire supply chain.

Boeing’s China Delivery Revival

The reversal began taking shape four months later. In August 2025, Bloomberg reported that Boeing had entered talks to sell as many as 500 aircraft to China. 

The last deal for Boeing came during Trump's November 2017 state visit to Beijing, when China agreed to purchase 300 single and twin-aisle planes for more than $37 billion, according to the report. 

On Boeing's first-quarter (Q1) earnings call, CEO Ortberg told investors the company was eyeing a "big number" from China. Ortberg said any new deal with China hinges entirely on the state of U.S.-Chinese relations, particularly how the Trump-Xi summit plays out.

Boeing posted $22.22 billion in Q1 revenue, up 14% year-over-year, beating estimates of $21.78 billion.

What Do Retail Traders Think About BA?

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment surrounding the stock is ‘bearish’ amid ‘normal’ message volumes. 

One user on Stocktwits was hopeful that Boeing would win new orders from China.

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.

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