Boeing, Beijing, and the Market Risks of Banking on Diplomatic Miracles
Diplomatic summits are marvellous theatre. You have dignitaries in dark suits, strained handshakes over tepid tea, and the perennial optimism of onlookers convinced that a monumental commercial breakthrough sits just around the corner.
I have watched this pantomime long enough to know better.
Currently, aerospace investors seem transfixed by the prospect of a bumper Chinese jet order for Boeing. Hopes, however, appear to be deflating faster than a punctured tyre on a tarmac. For Boeing, an outfit that has already endured more public floggings over manufacturing hiccups than I care to count, Beijing’s indifferent shrug is a rather bitter pill.
Geopolitics always trumps commercial logic.
When Washington and Beijing squabble, aircraft orders do not simply carry on as usual. They become high-stakes political pawns.