The grounding of Boeing’s 737 Max 8 threatens to complicate US-China trade talks by making it more difficult for Beijing to present US president Donald Trump with a headline-grabbing boost to the value of goods it buys from the US.
Chinese airlines and financial leasing companies have the largest order book outside the US for the 737 Max. The model is also central to Boeing’s plans, accounting for 80 per cent of the undelivered aircraft in its pipeline.
Boeing has suspended delivery of the 737 Max after regulators grounded the plane in the wake of an Ethiopian Airlines crash on March 10, which led to the deaths of all 157 people on board. An Indonesian Lion Air flight, involving the same type of aircraft, also crashed soon after take-off in October, killing 189.