China has removed a ban that was in place on its airlines taking the delivery of aircraft from Boeing, Bloomberg News reported on May 12, 2025, citing sources familiar with the matter.
According to the report officials in Beijing have begun the process of informing airlines and government agencies that deliveries of aircraft that have been made in the US can resume.
After US President Donald Trump initiated global tariffs on economies around the world on April 2, 2025, China did remain to be the only country facing import levies, following 90-day tariff freeze imposed by the president on other countries around the world. In response to Washington’s 145% tariffs on Chinese imports, Beijing raised its own levies on US goods to 125%.
At the start of this week, the US and China agreed to cut tariffs by 115% for 90 days, after trade talks were held in Geneva.
During April, at least three Boeing jets returned from the manufacturer’s 737 completion and delivery centre in China, located in Zhoushan, which is a joint venture with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). At the facility, 737 MAX aircraft are fitted with interiors and have airline liveries for Chinese customers sprayed.
Airlines in China such as Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines, reportedly have plans to take delivery of a collective 179 Boeing planes, in the next two-year period.
Speaking on Boeing’s first quarter earnings call in April, the company’s president and CEO Kelly Ortberg stated the manufacturer will take a “very straightforward approach” to dealing with deliveries of aircraft bound for Chinese carriers.
At the time of the call, Boeing had 50 aircraft that were due for delivery to Chinese airlines for the remainder of 2025.
“We're in close communication with our China customers, and we're actively assessing options for remarketing already built or in process aeroplanes,” Ortberg stated. “For the nine planes not yet in the production system, we're engaged with our customers to understand their intentions for taking deliveries, and if necessary, we have the ability to assign those positions to other customers.”
Currently 80% of Boeing’s deliveries this year are for customers outside of the US, with China accounting for 10% of its commercial backlog,