Economic security

How China is playing Boeing against Airbus to build its own airplane industry

For the first time ever, Boeing is locating an aircraft production facility abroad — in China — as part of a bundled deal to sell 300 new planes to Chinese airlines and leasing companies. Companies moving production to China is an old story, of course, but Boeing isn't just new to the Chinese market — this is the first time it's ever built a factory abroad. That makes it a huge deal in the deeply politicized aviation industry, and many smell a link to the demise of the Export-Import Bank, since Boeing was the biggest beneficiary of its largesse.