US President Donald Trump has accused China of backing out of a significant aircraft agreement with Boeing after Chinese authorities reportedly instructed domestic airlines to halt new deliveries from the American aerospace giant.
The reported directive from Beijing also includes a suspension of purchases of related parts and equipment of jet from US companies. The move is widely seen as a response to mounting US tariffs on Chinese goods. Mr Trump did not provide details on the scope or value of the alleged deal.
Mr Trump has also criticised China for allegedly failing to uphold its commitments under a prior trade truce negotiated during his first term. According to Mr. Trump, the deal rewarded US-based farmers with 28 billion US dollars. He blamed former US President Joe Biden for not enforcing it.
The US President escalated the trade war by imposing sweeping tariffs on Chinese goods, raising levies to 145 per cent. In response, Beijing hit back with countermeasures, including a 125 per cent tariff on a broad range of US products.
Trump’s comments on social media followed a Bloomberg news report about the halt. The report also said that Beijing requested Chinese carriers to pause purchases of aircraft-related equipment and parts from US firms.
“Interestingly, they just reneged on the big Boeing deal, saying that they will ‘not take possession’ of fully committed to aircraft,” said Trump in a Truth Social post, referring to China as trade tensions flared between the world’s two biggest economies.
The US president said China bought only “a portion of what they agreed to buy,” charging that Beijing had “zero respect” for his predecessor Joe Biden’s administration. Trump also vowed to protect US farmers in the same post, noting that farmers were often “put on the Front Line with our adversaries, such as China,” when there were trade tussles.