Steve Daines, a U.S. Congressman with a background in business, understands the principle of "know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles."

On May 4, U.S. Senator Steve Daines announced that he will lead a bipartisan group of five senators on a visit to China this week. The delegation will travel to Shanghai and Beijing, with plans to meet with Chinese officials and visit multiple technology companies.

The mission aims to gain a deeper understanding of China’s innovation environment and its impact on global competitiveness. "To effectively compete with China, we must understand its innovation ecosystem—this is precisely why I’m glad to be here with my colleagues. Given that the United States and China together account for 40% of the global economy, cooperation with China is crucial to maintaining America’s global competitiveness," Daines said.

During meetings with Chinese officials, Daines also called for increased purchases of Boeing aircraft. He stated: "I hope we can achieve more Boeing aircraft acquisitions when the two leaders meet next week."

Daines previously worked in China for six years during the 1990s as a senior executive at Procter & Gamble, giving him firsthand experience in the country. His political stance closely aligns with Trump’s (86% alignment), earning him recognition as a “trusted channel of communication.”

A senior expert analyzed that China’s procurement of Boeing aircraft is critically important to the United States across economic, employment, political, and strategic competition dimensions.

I. Economic and Industrial Support

Boeing's survival depends on the Chinese market: As of Q1 2026, Chinese airlines accounted for 32% of Boeing’s undelivered commercial aircraft orders, including over 230 units of the 737 MAX series. Losing the Chinese market could force Boeing to shut down production lines and lay off more than 12,000 workers.

Huge order volume: The ongoing procurement agreement between China and the U.S. involves nearly 600 aircraft worth approximately $89 billion (around 640 billion RMB)—the most urgent source of cash flow currently needed by Boeing.

Supply chain stability: Behind Boeing lies tens of thousands of American suppliers. Chinese orders help ensure continuous operation of the supply chain, preventing failure of U.S. manufacturing re-shoring policies.

II. Political and Electoral Pressure

Trump administration’s performance demands: With 2025 being an election year in the U.S., Boeing orders are seen as a symbolic achievement of “manufacturing re-shoring.” If the deal materializes, it can serve as a key political accomplishment to win support from blue-collar voters and the defense-industrial complex.

U.S. ambassador to China repeatedly emphasizes “critical importance to Trump”: Senior U.S. officials have repeatedly publicly highlighted the political significance of the order, underscoring its sensitivity within domestic U.S. politics.

III. Strategic Leverage in Competition

China uses procurement as a bargaining tool: China does not view these orders purely as commercial transactions but ties them to conditions such as tariff reductions and technology deregulation, adopting a “phased delivery” strategy (e.g., 100 planes for suspension of tariffs, 200 planes for technology licensing).

Counteracting U.S. tech suppression: Historically, during past trade tensions between China and the U.S., China used “pausing Boeing purchases” as a countermeasure (e.g., in response to Huawei being placed on the Entity List in 2019). The current resumption of purchases is essentially a goodwill signal, testing the U.S.’s willingness to concede in high-tech fields.

IV. Impact on Global Aviation Landscape

If Boeing loses access to China, it would lose 40% of the global incremental market—its stock price could plummet by half, undermining its duopoly dominance over Airbus.

Although China’s C919 has entered mass production (over 37 delivered in 2026), its annual production capacity (projected to reach 200 units by 2029) still cannot meet the domestic demand for over 200 aircraft annually in terms of fleet growth—making reliance on Boeing wide-body jets unavoidable in the short term.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864539160779904/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.