Chinese companies could sign
contracts this month to buy $15 billion worth of Boeing aircraft and other
American goods and services, a Chinese government spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi is heading a delegation of more than 200 business
executives from 110 state-owned and private sector companies who will be in Los
Angeles on Thursday to sign contracts worth more than $4 billion, said Xiaomei
Zhou, a spokeswoman for the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles.
Wu's mission comes just a few weeks before Chinese President Hu Jintao meets
with U.S. President George W. Bush at the White House. Concerns about Chinese
barriers to U.S. exports, rampant piracy and Beijing's currency policies are
expected to be high on the agenda for the April 20 meeting, along with foreign
policy matters.
A deal with Boeing could be signed before Hu's White House visit. "If you
include the contract for Boeing, the total would be about $15 billion," Xiaomei
said.
Hu is scheduled to visit Boeing's plant in Everett, Washington, on April 19,
a day after stopping at the Microsoft headquarters.
A Boeing spokeswoman had no comment on any possible deal, saying the company
leaves it to its customers to announce purchases.
The United States exported $3.84 billion worth of civilian aircraft to China
last year.
The biggest of the 27 deals to be signed on Thursday is for $1 billion with
Flextronics, which helps automotive, industrial, medical and technology
companies design and build electronics products, according to a Chinese
consulate statement.