(Reuters) -Taiwan’s China Airlines Ltd said on Tuesday it would buy 16 Boeing Co 787 widebody planes to replace its ageing fleet of Airbus A330s following a widely-watched contest held against the backdrop of regional tensions.
The politically sensitive deal worth $4.6 billion at list prices was announced by the government-backed carrier weeks after a visit to Taipei by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi angered Beijing and stoked Sino-U.S. trade tensions.
Boeing, which is trying to rebuild its business in China, was seen as the front-runner but had been at pains to avoid using her visit to actively lobby for a 787 deal, industry sources told Reuters earlier this month.
(Reporting by Jamie Freed in Sydney; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
