China has ordered domestic airlines to stop accepting new deliveries of aircraft from the American manufacturer Boeing Co., as well as to stop purchases of aviation equipment and spare parts from the United States. This was reported by sources quoted by Bloomberg, reports News.bg.
The measure is part of Beijing's retaliatory actions after the introduction of new US tariffs by President Donald Trump, which cover Chinese goods worth up to 145%. In response, China imposed its own 125% tariffs, effective April 12.
This significantly increases the price of American aircraft and components and makes them economically unprofitable for Chinese carriers, sources familiar with the matter said.
Beijing is also considering measures to compensate airlines that have already leased or ordered Boeing planes and will bear the additional costs. Among those affected are about 10 Boeing 737 Max aircraft that have already been produced and are in Seattle or at Boeing's Zhoushan plant in eastern China.
It is possible that these aircraft will receive individual delivery authorizations if the contracts were finalized before the new tariffs were implemented.
Among the orders specifically affected is that of Juneyao Airlines Co., which recently postponed the delivery of a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Boeing declined to comment on the case, as did Chinese carriers Air China, China Southern and Xiamen Airlines.
In 2018, about a quarter of all Boeing deliveries were destined for China — a market that is expected to account for 20% of global aircraft demand over the next two decades.
However, the company has not received significant new orders from China in recent years due to trade tensions and domestic challenges, including a 2024 incident in which a plane door opened in flight.
Although Airbus SE remains a major supplier and the Chinese manufacturer Comac C919 is gaining popularity, hundreds of Boeing planes are still in service in the country and will require maintenance and replacement in the future.