China considers ending freeze on Boeing purchases with 737 Max aircraft deal in US

China is considering resuming purchases of Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft as US Presidents Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping set to meet this week, signalling the end of a prolonged commercial freeze in a crucial overseas market for the US aircraft manufacturer, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter. The Chinese government is considering announcing a commitment to Boeing’s 737 jetliner during the APEC Summit in San Francisco, reflecting a recent improvement in bilateral relations. However, the terms of a possible agreement are still being discussed and may undergo changes or dissolution before the heads of state convene on Wednesday. Boeing is still waiting to resume deliveries of its bestselling 737 MAX to Chinese airlines more than four years after they were halted following two deadly crashes. The company had said that as of the end of June, about 90% of its 737 Max jets in China had resumed commercial operations. The company has been all but shut out of new orders from Chinese carriers since 2017 amid rising political and trade tensions between Beijing and Washington. Boeing in September slightly increased its annual 20-year forecast for new plane deliveries to China, citing economic growth and increasing demand for domestic travel. The U.S. planemaker said that China’s fleet would more than double to nearly 9,600 jets over the next 20 years and that its domestic aviation market would be the largest in the world by the end of the forecast period, with demand for 6,470 single-aisle planes such as the Boeing 737 MAX family. Reuters reported in April that China’s aviation regulator published a report that Boeing viewed as a key step for the U.S. planemaker to resume deliveries, but none have resumed. Boeing declined to comment on the Bloomberg report. With inputs from Reuters.