By Stella Qiu and David Kirton

ZHUHAI, China (Reuters) – Boeing (NYSE:) Co’s 737 MAX test flight for China’s aviation regulator last month was successful and the planemaker hopes a two-year grounding will be lifted this year, the head of Boeing’s China business said on Wednesday.

Sherry Carbary, President of Boeing China said that the test flight went without any problems. She was speaking at Airshow China which is the largest airshow in China.

Carbary stated that Boeing is working closely with China’s Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). The CAAC will review the data and prepare reports to determine whether or not the aircraft can be restored to service.

People familiar with the situation told Reuters that China could lift the ban on the plane, which was lifted in several Asian and Western countries.

Carbary declined to provide more detail but said that they were hopeful the ban will be lifted by the end the year. CAAC is responsible for this. However, I can assure you that we support them fully and are encouraged by their close cooperation.

Boeing sold 25% of its planes annually before the 737 MAX crashed in March 2019.

U.S.-China tensions have also hampered the company’s China sales.

U.S. Commerce secretary Gina Raimondo claimed Tuesday that China was stopping its domestic airlines buying Boeing planes worth “tens and billions of dollar”.

Carbary did not respond directly to the comments, but she stated that free and fair trading was essential to allow Boeing to ship its planes all over the globe.

She stated that she believes right now, the governments of both countries are facing some difficult issues regarding some legitimate sensitive issues. The two countries must resolve these issues.