Rising trade tensions between the US and China could damage future sales of widebody aircraft , according to Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg . Airlines in China are expected to require roughly 7,700 jets within the next two decades but , with Chinese retaliatory tariffs set to increase from 20 - 25 % to 50 % in December , Muilenburg predicts losing out on sales of the company 's 767 , 777 and 787 planes . So, there is a dependence on Chinese orders ultimately coming through," Muilenburg said. Furthermore , these new aircraft require long lead times and bespoke fittings for each airline , meaning that Boeing has already reserved this capacity for potential Chinese orders that may never come in .
Rising trade tensions between the US and China could damage future sales of widebody aircraft , according to Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg . Airlines in China are expected to require roughly 7,700 jets within the next two decades but , with Chinese retaliatory tariffs set to increase from 20 - 25 % to 50 % in December , Muilenburg predicts losing out on sales of the company 's 767 , 777 and 787 planes . Furthermore , these new aircraft require long lead times and bespoke fittings for each airline , meaning that Boeing has already reserved this capacity for potential Chinese orders that may never come in .