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In a sign of improving U.S.-China trade relations, Boeing (NYSE:BA) delivered three 737-8 Max aircraft to Chinese carriers on Sunday, a rare same-day event that highlights a thaw in geopolitical friction.
The jets, intended for Xiamen Airlines, Shanghai Airlines and Shandong Airlines, departed Boeing’s Seattle-area facilities within roughly an hour of each other, starting at 8:45 a.m. local time, according to Flightradar24. Each plane bore a Chinese registration and initially headed for Honolulu before continuing to China, following standard delivery procedures.
These deliveries, collectively valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars, are widely viewed as a barometer for the broader health of trade ties between the U.S. and China. The latest handovers reflect a shift from earlier this year, when Beijing suspended Boeing (NYSE:BA) deliveries and imposed new tariffs in response to Washington’s steep duties, up to 145%, on Chinese imports.
Now, provisional trade agreements and the prospect of a high-level summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have helped restore a measure of cooperation, benefiting companies like Boeing (BA).
The ramp-up is also helping the U.S. aerospace giant reduce its inventory of 737 Max jets. Many were built but undelivered during the aircraft’s global grounding after two fatal accidents in the previous decade. Boeing (BA) reports that it handed over 28 aircraft to Chinese customers through June of this year.
According to data from Aviation Flights Group and Flightradar24, Boeing (BA) has delivered at least five aircraft to China in July alone. That brings the total to 13 since shipments resumed in early June. Other recipients this month include China Southern Airlines, which received a 787-9 Dreamliner, and China Eastern’s cargo division, which took a 777 Freighter.
Additionally, two more 737 Max aircraft have recently been ferried to Boeing’s (BA) Zhoushan facility in China, likely in preparation for further deliveries.