Trump says China ‘reneged’ on Boeing deal as tensions flare
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Mr Trump’s social media comments followed a news report that Beijing ordered airlines not to take further jet deliveries from US aviation giant Boeing.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on April 15 that China has gone back on a major Boeing deal, after a news report that Beijing ordered airlines not to take further deliveries of the US aviation giant’s jets.
Mr Trump’s comments on social media followed a Bloomberg news report
“Interestingly, they just reneged on the big Boeing deal, saying that they will ‘not take possession’ of fully committed-to aircraft,” said Mr Trump in a Truth Social post, referring to China as trade tensions flared between the world’s two biggest economies.
But he did not provide further details on the Boeing pact he was referring to.
Although Mr Trump has imposed new tariffs on friend and foe since returning to the presidency in 2025, he reserved his heaviest blows for China – imposing additional 145 per cent tariffs
Mr Trump took aim at Beijing again on April 15, saying on Truth Social that China did not fully fulfil an earlier trade deal. He appeared to be referencing a pact that marked a truce in both sides’ escalating tariffs war during his first term.
The US President said China bought only “a portion of what it agreed to buy”, charging that Beijing had “zero respect” for his predecessor Joe Biden’s administration.
Mr 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.
Since the start of the year, Mr Trump has imposed steep duties on imports from China, alongside a 10 per cent “baseline” tariff on many US trading partners.
US President Donald Trump posted remarks on his Truth Social site following the Bloomberg report.
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His administration recently widened exemptions for these tariffs, excluding certain tech products
But many Chinese imports still face the total 145 per cent additional tariff, or at least an earlier 20 per cent levy that Mr Trump rolled out over China’s alleged role in the fentanyl supply chain.
In response, Beijing has introduced counter tariffs targeting US agricultural goods – and later retaliated with a sweeping 125 per cent levy of its own
China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to AFP queries on the aircraft deliveries, and Boeing has declined to comment on the Bloomberg report.
Boeing shares were around 1.5 per cent lower on the morning of April 15. AFP
