China labels Boeing a ‘victim’ of Trump’s tariff policy as jets return to US amid trade war woes

China’s Ministry of Commerce has described Boeing and its Chinese language airline clients as “victims” of President Donald Trump’s escalating tariff conflict amid worsening US-China commerce relations.

The ministry issued a press release on Tuesday (April 29) implicitly distancing itself from blame directed at Boeing, calling as a substitute for the US to heed enterprise considerations and restore stability to industrial exchanges.

“China is prepared to proceed supporting regular industrial cooperation between firms in each nations,” a spokesperson mentioned. The official urged the US to “take heed to the voices of companies to create a steady and predictable setting for regular commerce and funding actions,” in response to a report by the
South China Morning Submit.

The feedback adopted affirmation from Boeing that a number of Chinese language airways have
ceased accepting new plane deliveries as a result of heightened tariffs. Two Boeing jets initially meant for China’s Xiamen Airways have already been returned to the US, in response to flight-tracking knowledge reported by Reuters.

Boeing caught within the tariffs crossfire

Since Trump commenced his second time period in January, tariffs on Chinese language items have surged by 145 per cent, cumulatively reaching as much as 245 per cent on some merchandise. In response, China has elevated tariffs on US imports by 125 per cent, deepening the pressure on bilateral commerce.

These sharp tariff hikes have drastically inflated prices for Chinese language airways counting on Boeing plane, affecting each the acquisition costs of latest jets and upkeep prices for present fleets. Boeing’s China orders make up a big a part of its backlog, with 130 out of 6,319 unfilled industrial plane orders destined for Chinese language clients as of April.

What Boeing has mentioned

“Boeing has positively made a critical assertion that they’ll ship plane [rejected by Chinese buyers] to different purchasers,” Jason Li Hanming, a US-based aviation analyst, mentioned. “However it’s apparent that Boeing will undergo.”

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg revealed in an earnings name final week that Chinese language carriers had halted new jet deliveries. Chinese language airways had been anticipated to buy round 50 Boeing plane in 2025 alone. Ortberg famous the continuing commerce dispute with China would diminish the corporate’s current robust efficiency.

China’s home aviation push

Though Boeing delivered 56 plane to China in 2024 and one other 18 within the first quarter of 2025, large-scale Chinese language orders for the US producer have dwindled since 2017, with Airbus benefiting considerably in recent times.

In the meantime, China continues investing closely in
home aviation manufacturing . The state-backed Industrial Plane Company of China (Comac), producer of the C919— a competitor to Boeing’s 737—plans to considerably enhance its manufacturing capabilities, regardless of ongoing dependence on Western expertise equivalent to superior engines.