AEROSPACE

China Picks European Group for 100-Seat Jet: The government confirmed it has selected British Aerospace, Aerospatiale of France, Alenia of Italy and Singapore Technology as its partners in a coveted 100-seat jetliner for the booming Asian travel market. The announcement ended months of lobbying by Boeing Co., McDonnell Douglas Corp. and others for a share of the $2-billion project and came just weeks after a co-production deal between China and South Korea broke down. Some analysts wonder whether the long-delayed project, which is supposed to start by year-end, will ever get off the ground. Boeing executives are still talking to the South Koreans, Japanese and others interested in building a 100-seat plane. In recent months, Seattle-based Boeing has complained that its business was being undermined by U.S.-China trade tensions.