TAIPEI, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Taiwan's China Airlines

is not facing any political pressure on its decision

about whether to buy Boeing ( BA ) or Airbus aircraft

for a refreshment of its long-haul fleet, the company's chairman

said on Saturday.

Taiwan's largest carrier has been weighing Boeing's ( BA ) 777X and

the Airbus A350-1000 as replacements for its fleet of 10 Boeing

777-300ERs, mostly used on U.S. and some high-density regional

routes, according to industry sources.

China Airlines Chairman Hsieh Shih-chien told reporters the

company was still in the process of evaluating which aircraft to

take and, asked if there was any political pressure on the

decision, replied "no".

"When it comes to buying aircraft, it is only China Airlines

ourselves who makes the assessment. I want to clarify this,"

Hsieh added.

Multibillion-dollar deals for new aircraft often have to

take political as well as business considerations into account -

especially in the case of Taiwan, given its international

situation and pressure it faces to give in to China's

sovereignty claims, which are rejected by the democratically

elected government in Taipei.

The United States is Taiwan's most important international

backer and arms supplier despite a lack of formal diplomatic

ties, and China Airlines' majority owner is the Taiwan

government.

A senior industry source told Reuters, speaking on condition

of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter, that on the

China Airlines deal the timing was a complicating factor given

November's U.S. election.

In 2022, shortly after then-U.S. House of Representatives

Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei - which set off Chinese war

games - China Airlines announced a $4.6 billion order for

Boeing's ( BA ) 787 to replace its ageing fleet of Airbus A330s.

China Airlines already operates 15 of the smaller Airbus

A350-900s, as well as nine of the freighter version of the 777.

Hsieh said the 787s would start arriving from next year,

while a further 11 Airbus A321s, which are replacing its older

Boeing 737-800s, would all come before 2026.