China calls Boeing ‘victim' of White House tariff policy as jets return to US
China's Ministry of Commerce said both the country's domestic airlines and American aerospace firm
Boeing were victims of US President Donald Trump's tariff hikes, a move analysts said was tacit confirmation Beijing does not blame the company for the White House's actions.
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'China is willing to continue supporting normal commercial cooperation between companies in both countries,' said an unnamed spokesperson in an online statement on Tuesday, adding the ministry 'hopes the US will listen to the voices of businesses to create a stable and predictable environment for normal trade and investment activities.'
The statement came after Boeing confirmed some Chinese clients had stopped receiving deliveries of new jets.
Beijing's comments on the Boeing situation can be taken as 'welcome assurance' for the company, analysts said, as Chinese airlines also have an interest in protecting normal business ties from the effects of the
trade war
'Boeing has definitely made a serious statement that they can deliver aircraft [rejected by Chinese buyers] to other clients. But it is obvious that Boeing will suffer,' said Jason Li Hanming, a US-based aviation analyst.
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Two Boeing jets allocated to China's Xiamen Airlines have been returned to the US, Reuters reported, citing flight data. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg confirmed last week that Chinese airlines have stopped receiving deliveries.
According to Ortberg, Chinese airlines had planned to purchase 50 aircraft from Boeing in 2025. During the company's latest earnings call, he said the situation in China 'will take away some of the headroom we've built with our strong first-quarter deliveries'.
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