China has taken a big step that could help cool down the long-running trade fight with the United States. The Chinese government has started telling its airlines they can begin buying American-made Boeing airplanes again. This change comes after months of hard talks and back-and-forth between the two world powers.
For a while, Chinese airlines had stopped accepting new airplanes from Boeing, a major aircraft maker in the U.S. This was not because the planes had problems, but because of trade rules and taxes that made things very difficult between the two countries. These rules, called tariffs, made it very expensive to do business.
Just last month, Boeing confirmed that their deliveries to China were on hold. Now, with a new agreement in place, those deliveries might begin again soon. The decision to lift the ban on new Boeing aircraft is a sign that things may be improving between China and the United States—for now.
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What Caused the Ban?
The ban didn’t come out of nowhere. It was part of a larger problem known as a trade war. A trade war is when countries put high taxes on each other’s goods to try to protect their own businesses. These taxes are called tariffs, and they can hurt companies that sell things across borders.
In this case, the United States had raised tariffs on many Chinese products to as high as 145 percent. In response, China added its own high tariffs—up to 125 percent—on goods coming from the U.S., including airplanes.
Because of these high tariffs, it became very costly and difficult for Chinese airlines to accept U.S.-made planes. That’s why they stopped taking deliveries of Boeing aircraft. The halt in deliveries also affected Boeing’s plans. The company had hoped to send about 50 new planes to China in 2025, but those plans were put on hold.
Now, after both countries agreed to cut back on these tariffs, things are beginning to move again. The United States has dropped its tariffs to 30 percent, while China has lowered its own to 10 percent. With this new arrangement, buying American airplanes is no longer as expensive or complicated for China.
Quiet Signals and Big Moves
According to sources familiar with the matter, Chinese officials have quietly told local airlines that they can restart orders of U.S.-made aircraft. Although Boeing and China’s foreign ministry have not yet made public comments about the news, the message has already reached the airline industry.
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This change followed a meeting in Geneva, where the two countries agreed on a 90-day pause to many of their trade rules. During this time, both sides are expected to keep talking and hopefully make more agreements.
The United States called the deal a “total reset,” saying it was a fresh start in the troubled trade relationship. Chinese airlines, which had once frozen their Boeing purchases, can now begin planning again for new aircraft.
Even though there’s been no official announcement from Boeing, the move is expected to have a big impact on the airline industry. Boeing is one of the world’s largest aircraft makers, and China is one of the largest markets for air travel.
For now, the skies between China and the United States look a little clearer. The lifting of the Boeing ban shows that, at least for the moment, both countries are trying to get along a bit better when it comes to trade.