White House Drops Boeing CEO from 9-Member China Business Delegation
BA•On May 8, the White House cut its list of CEOs attending President Biden’s China delegation from 19 to 9, excluding Boeing’s chief executive. Boeing loses a key platform to negotiate potential orders in China, its largest commercial aircraft market accounting for about 30% of global deliveries last year.
1. Delegation Scale-Back
On May 8, the White House announced it reduced its business advisory delegation to China from 19 CEOs to just nine, citing a tighter, more focused agenda. Remaining attendees represent sectors such as technology, finance and energy, while aerospace leadership was omitted.
2. Boeing’s Exclusion
Boeing’s chief executive, who had been slated to join high-level talks with President Xi, was not invited to the pared-down group. The omission removes a direct channel for Boeing to press for post-pandemic commercial aircraft sales and service agreements in China.
3. Market Implications
China accounted for approximately 30% of global commercial aircraft deliveries last year, making access to Beijing critical for Boeing’s backlog. Exclusion from the delegation could delay negotiations on new orders, ceding ground to European rival Airbus in the world’s largest aviation market.
