Trump says partial trade deal with China may boost Boeing sales by $20bn

China is one of the biggest markets for the plane maker

US President Donald Trump says a partial trade deal with China could spur Boeing sales. AFP

President Donald Trump said the partial US-China trade deal may lead to as much as $20 billion (Dh73.4bn) in sales of Boeing aircraft, in addition to spurring billion of dollars in purchases of agricultural goods.

“Other aspects of the deal are also great – technology, financial services, 16-20 billion in Boeing Planes etc,” Mr Trump wrote on Twitter on Saturday, without any specifics about the aircraft portion. A spokesman for Boeing declined to comment.

In unveiling the overall deal on Friday, Mr Trump stressed a surge in Chinese purchases of US farm products – an offer Beijing made more than two years ago. It will be accompanied by unspecified commitments on intellectual property. No mention was made at the White House of aircraft purchases.

Boeing has a seat in the trade discussions and its chief executive Dennis Muilenburg has in recent months pointed out that aerospace is one of the industries where US and China’s interests converge. Boeing is one of the largest American exporters, while China is the biggest overseas customer for its aircraft.

China has traditionally split its orders evenly between Boeing and Europe’s Airbus.