A Boeing 737 Max landed in China on Monday, the first such transport after a trade clash between Washington and Beijing stopped deliveries for close to two months.
According to Reuters, the aircraft was flown from Seattle and landed at a Boeing facility outside Shanghai. It was painted with the colors and insignia of China’s Xiamen Airlines.
The Chinese government told the country’s airlines to stop accepting Boeing aircraft in April after President Donald Trump announced a fresh round of international tariffs, including new, higher taxes on Chinese imports. The U.S. raised tariffs on China up to 145 percent before declaring a 90-day reprieve for trade negotiations.
In May, as those discussions continued, Beijing removed the ban on its carriers taking delivery of Boeing airplanes.
Chinese airlines represent about 10 percent of Boeing’s order backlog, Reuters reported.
U.S.-China trade talks were set to enter a new phase on Monday with the start of face-to-face meetings in London. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are among the officials representing the U.S.
Point of Contention
While tensions over tariffs seem to have eased slightly, the two countries remain at odds over the Trump administration’s decision to block the export of certain American aviation technology to China, including CFM International’s LEAP 1-C engine, which Chinese manufacturer Comac uses to power its narrowbody C919. News service The Air Current reported last week that the restrictions also extend to RTX and Honeywell aviation components and systems used by Comac, citing people with knowledge of the export blocks.
The Chinese government has denounced the restrictions, which it says are aimed at holding back the country’s efforts to develop and produce a commercial aircraft capable of competing with Boeing and Airbus.
