China edges closer to Airbus mega-deal, leaving Boeing out in the cold: analysts
Europe has emerged as China's go-to source for overseas commercial aircraft in recent years. Boeing, once a major supplier, has not secured a major order from China since 2017 – casting a
shadow over its future in the world's second-largest economy amid turbulent trade ties between Beijing and Washington.
In that time, the company has also suffered reputational setbacks marked by worker strikes, financial losses and crashes – including the recent
Air India disaster that killed at least 270 people aboard a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Now, as Beijing's geopolitical and aviation safety concerns push Chinese buyers towards Airbus and even the home-grown
Comac C919 passenger plane, analysts warn Boeing's absence from China's recent plane-buying spree could leave some airlines in the lurch.
'Buying from Airbus makes a lot of sense now, both commercially and diplomatically … But carriers with Boeing-only fleets are caught on the back foot,' said Brian Yang Bo, an aviation industry veteran and independent consultant.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
4 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
US Senate, passing Trump bill, bars clean energy tax credits for firms with ties to China
The US Congress is poised to bar companies with ties to China from gaining clean energy tax credits – a move that critics warn could jeopardise dozens of planned projects and freeze investment in a sector already struggling to decouple from the country. Advertisement After an overnight series of amendment votes, the Senate on Tuesday passed its version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act – which would also remove the decades-old 'de minimis' trade rule that allows low-value packages to avoid duties and rigorous screening – by a vote of 51-50, with Vice-President J.D. Vance providing the tiebreaker. The House of Representatives passed its version in May but would need to vote on the Senate's changes before the bill could be sent to US President Donald Trump to sign into law. Republicans, who control both chambers, have set a deadline to finish a version for the president by Friday. Trump's signature budget legislation, which spans about 900 pages, includes strict foreign ownership rules that would disqualify clean energy companies from receiving tax credits. Among the many disqualifying relationships: cases in which a Chinese entity owns as little as 25 per cent of the company. The bill also sets new 'material assistance' thresholds that disqualify projects from receiving tax credits if too much of their content is sourced from China, Iran, North Korea or Russia, with the allowable share declining over time. For example, starting next year, a solar farm would be ineligible if more than 60 per cent of its materials by value came from China. Advertisement The bill additionally targets US-China licensing deals focused on transferring technology and processes, potentially imperiling high-profile deals like the one between Ford and the Chinese battery maker CATL. Restrictions on foreign clean energy components, tech transfers and ownership – meant to reduce reliance on Chinese dominance in the sector – are not new. They were also in the Inflation Reduction Act, former president Joe Biden's signature climate legislation that established many of the tax credits.
South China Morning Post
6 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong Jockey Club to provide ‘high-quality technical support' at National Games
Jockey Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges at the signing ceremony marking the club's additional support for the National Games. Photo: HKJC This help is in addition to the HK$450 million the club will provide to the city to support its co-hosting of the Games in November The Hong Kong Jockey Club announced on Tuesday that it would provide 'high-quality technical support' to the tune of 50 million yuan (US$6.9 million) for the equestrian events at the National Games later this year. This help would be in addition to the HK$450 million (US$57.3 million) the club planned provide as the sole partner sponsor for the Hong Kong competition region. There would also be support for the National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the National Special Olympic Games in the Guangdong competition region. In a press release, the club said its contribution reflected 'its support for national sporting events and its commitment to promoting sports development in collaboration with mainland authorities'. The club said it would provide technical support to the equestrian events of the National Games in six areas: venue design, horse welfare, anti-doping measures, stable management, event service and support, and publicity and community engagement. The club would also deploy an expert team to provide support and equipment for the events, with the aim of helping to ensure the events are conducted to a high standard. In addition, HKJC would support official activities, volunteer services and promotional work in the Guangdong Competition Region. To mark the occasion, a signing ceremony was held at the club's Sha Tin Clubhouse. Among those attending were Cui Jian, the director general of the Guangdong Provincial Sports Bureau, Li Shuguang, the deputy director general of the Department of Publicity, Cultural and Sports Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HK SAR, and Yeung Tak-keung, head of the National Games Coordination Office in Hong Kong. Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the Jockey Club's CEO, said the club had long been a staunch supporter of the nation's major sports events, including the equestrian events of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games and the recent 19th Hangzhou Asian Games. He said the club hoped its participation would 'not only contribute to the Games' success but also further develop equestrian sport at the national level', especially within the Greater Bay Area. Cui said the club's support, including for volunteer services and promotional campaigns in the Guangdong Competition Region, had helped advance the vision of a 'green, inclusive, open and clean' National Games. He added that Guangdong and Hong Kong had always stood 'together with one heart' and he encouraged continued collaboration. The National Games, held once every four years, is the nation's largest multi-sports event. This year will be the first time Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau will be co-hosts. The National Games will be held from November 9 to November 21, with the equestrian events taking place in Shenzhen's Guangming District from November 10 to 19. The two other competitions will take place from December 8 to 15.
South China Morning Post
7 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Pentagon reliant on Chinese suppliers and ‘not prepared' for war, report warns
The US defence industrial base remains dependent on Chinese suppliers despite efforts to decouple – and that raises concerns over war readiness , according to a report by data analytics firm Govini. Chinese firms still made up 9.3 per cent of the primary contractors, or Tier 1 suppliers, involved in major US defence programmes across nine critical sectors in 2024, Govini said in its annual National Security Scorecard. 'The United States is not prepared for the war that we may have to enter if China said, 'today is the day',' said Tara Dougherty, chief executive of the defence acquisition information firm based in Washington. Its researchers analysed US Department of Defence spending data in nine key areas – aviation, maritime, C4I (command, control, communications, computers and intelligence), mission support, nuclear, missiles and munitions, ground, missile defence and space. They concluded that US supply chains were 'incredibly brittle' and that China, categorised as an 'adversarial' nation, was home to the most Tier 1 suppliers. Questions have been raised over war readiness if the US enters a conflict with China. Photo: AP According to the report, the missile defence sector had the most significant reliance on Chinese suppliers, who had a share of 11.1 per cent.
