Mandarin-speaking ex-White House aide named Boeing China president

Audio By Carbonatix

Enlarge

BEIJING (Reuters) -Boeing on Thursday named Landon Loomis the new president of Boeing China, betting that the fluent Mandarin speaker and former White House adviser can steady the China market as the U.S. threatens to choke off parts’ exports to Chinese airlines.

Loomis, who spent five years in Beijing as the U.S. Embassy’s aviation specialist and later served as former Vice President Mike Pence’s special adviser, will keep his current title of Boeing vice president of global policy, while running day-to-day operations, strategy and high-level government relations from the Beijing office.

The appointment comes as trade and tariff tensions between Washington and Beijing flare anew, with Boeing increasingly treated as a bargaining chip. China briefly stopped accepting new Boeing jets this year before quietly resuming deliveries, and U.S. President Donald Trump warned earlier this month that spare-part exports could be next in the crosshairs.

“Landon is the ideal leader for Boeing China,” said Brendan Nelson, president of Boeing Global Group. “His deep industry and government experience, combined with years of living and working in China, will further strengthen our long-term partnerships and presence here.”

Boeing is reportedly seeking to sell Chinese carriers up to 500 jets, a deal that could significantly boost the struggling planemaker but hinges on whether Washington and Beijing can defuse their trade spat.

On Wednesday, rival Airbus fired up its second A320neo assembly line in Tianjin, doubling its China footprint as Boeing fights to keep market share.

(Reporting by Sophie Yu in Beijing, Jamie Freed in Sydney; Editing by Kate Mayberry)