WASHINGTON — President Obama is becoming a traveling salesman on his trip to Asia, announcing $25 billion worth of deals between US companies and Asian buyers.
Obama is being especially solicitous toward aerospace giant Boeing, even as his administration is tussling with the company over a recent decision to open a plant in South Carolina.
Federal labor regulators have charged that Boeing built the plant in a state that has business-friendly labor laws that make it hard for workers to unionize.
Obama announced in Bali a $22 billion deal between Boeing and Indonesia’s largest domestic airline, Lion Air, for 240 planes — the largest commercial sale in the manufacturer’s history.
The deals “underpin the expanding strategic partnership between the United States and the Asia-Pacific, contributing to economic growth and development,” according to the White House.
The White House says the deals could support 127,000 jobs, with the Boeing deal alone producing 110,000 jobs in 43 states.