Beijing — French President Emmanuel Macron floated the prospect of a massive Airbus aircraft order at the end of a three-day visit to China, hours after the jet maker had said no new deals came out of the trip. An aide to Macron said in Beijing on Wednesday that the potential sale concerned 184 A320 narrow-body jets for delivery to 13 airlines in 2019 and 2020. While the deal would be worth $18bn at list prices, it lacked the status of a formal agreement with the agency that approves Chinese aircraft purchases. The confusion highlights the complexities of doing deals with China, where aircraft sales announced during politically charged visits by Western leaders don’t always deliver on their apparent promise. US President Donald Trump celebrated a $37bn Boeing order following his first visit to Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in November, only for it to emerge that the bulk of the 300 jets involved were from previously agreed transactions. China has become a battleground for Airbus an...
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