Dan Catchpole and Lisa Barrington
SEATTLE (Reuters) – A Boeing jet designed to be used by Chinese airlines landed on Sunday at the planner’s U.S. production center, the victim of a double bilateral tariff launched by President Donald Trump in a global trade offensive.
According to Reuters witnesses, this is the 737 Max for China's Chiaman Airways, landing in Boeing territory in Seattle at 0111 PM GMT. It is painted with Xiamen.
The jet refueled on a 5,000-mile (8,000-km) return trip in Guam and Hawaii, one of the several 737 Max Jets waiting for the final work and delivered to the Chinese carrier at the Zhoushan Complete Center in Boeing.
Trump raised benchmark tariffs on Chinese imports to 145% this month. In retaliation, China imposed a 125% tariff on U.S. goods. Aviation Consultancy IBA data shows that a Chinese airline takes over Boeing jets could weaken tariffs given the market value of the new 737 Max is about $55 million.
It is not clear which party decided to return the plane to the United States, Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Xiamen did not respond to a request for comment.
The return of Boeing’s best-selling model, the 737 Max, is due to the latest signs of new aircraft delivery due to a decades-old tax-free status in the aerospace industry.
The tariff war and obvious turnaround delivery were due to Boeing recovering from nearly five years of import freezes from the 737 Max Jets and the previous round of trade tensions.
Analysts say confusion over changing tariffs could put many aircraft delivery in a difficult situation, with some airline CEOs saying they would delay delivery of aircraft rather than paying responsibilities.
(Reports by Dan Catchpole in Seattle and Lisa Barrington in Seoul; Editors by Joe Brock and William Mallard)
