China' a priority market' amid European debt crisis: Boeing Co.

Beijing, Dec 5(ANI): China has become Boeing Co's priority market amid the European debt crisis, the US-based aircraft manufacturer has said.

Boeing kick-started a six-month world tour in Beijing on December 4 for the first time.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner will stop in three Chinese cities - Beijing, Guangzhou and Haikou - before heading to Africa, The China Daily reports.

"The managers at our headquarters had a heated discussion about the first destination and I insisted on China, because it is our largest single market besides the US," Boeing Sales and Marketing for Greater China and Korea, Senior Vice President Ihssane Mounir said.

Mounir said that China has the fastest-growing aviation market and predicted that it would become the world's second-largest market.

He pointed out that Boeing's business expanded by 8 to 12 percent in a year in developing countries, especially China and the Middle East.

Boeing is the 787 Dreamliner in the country because Chinese carriers need to be more competitive in the global market, Boeing China President Marc Allen said.

He said Boeing the three stops of the 787 Dreamliner tour had the highest number of customers.

Boeing expects to get new orders for 787 Dreamliners in the next 18 months in China, Mounir said.

The 787 Dreamliner is a wide-body aircraft with 200 to 300 seats.(ANI)