China blames US tariffs for halting Boeing plane deliveries

A Boeing 737 aircraft is pictured outside Boeing’s Renton Factory in Renton, Washington on April 15, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 29 April 2025
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China blames US tariffs for halting Boeing plane deliveries

  • Beijing spokesperson: The levies had ‘disrupted the international air transport market’
  • Boeing’s CEO confirmed last week that China had stopped accepting new aircraft due to the trade war

BEIJING: China on Tuesday blamed US tariffs for Beijing’s decision to stop accepting new aircraft from aviation giant Boeing, saying the levies had “disrupted the international air transport market.”
“The United States’ wielding of tariffs has severely impacted the stability of the global industrial chain and supply chain,” China’s commerce ministry said in a statement.
“Relevant Chinese airlines and Boeing in the United States have suffered greatly,” a spokesperson said.
New US tariffs have reached 145 percent on many Chinese products, while Beijing has responded with fresh 125 percent duties on imports from the United States.
And Boeing’s CEO confirmed last week that China had stopped accepting new aircraft due to the trade war.
In a televised interview with CNBC, Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg said Chinese customers had “stopped taking delivery of aircraft due to the tariff environment,” adding that if the halt continued, the aviation giant would soon market the jets to other carriers.
Boeing had planned to deliver around 50 aircraft to China in 2025, said Ortberg, adding that the company wouldn’t “wait too long” to send the jets to other customers.
US President Donald Trump also criticized Beijing for backing out of the deal, saying Boeing should “default China for not taking the beautifully finished planes.”
Beijing’s commerce ministry on Tuesday hit back, saying “many companies have been unable to carry out normal trade and investment activities” due to Trump’s tariffs.
“China is willing to continue to support the normal business cooperation between the two countries’ enterprises,” its spokesperson said.
Beijing “hopes that the United States can listen to the voices of enterprises and create a stable and predictable environment for their normal trade and investment activities,” they added.


French TV broadcasts Louvre robbery images

Updated 54 min 15 sec ago
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French TV broadcasts Louvre robbery images

  • Video shows the brazen jewel thieves breaking into display cases
  • Four suspects are in police custody over the October 19 heist

PARIS: Footage of the spectacular robbery at the Louvre Museum has been broadcast for the first time on French television, showing the brazen jewel thieves breaking into display cases.
The images, filmed by surveillance cameras, were shown by the TF1 and public France Televisions channels on Sunday evening, three months after the hugely embarrassing break-in in October.


They show the two burglars, one wearing a black balaclava and a yellow high-visibility jacket, the other dressed in black with a motorcycle helmet, as they force their way into the Apollo Gallery.
After breaking in through a reinforced window with high-powered disk cutters, they begin slicing into display cases under the eyes of several staff members who do not intervene.
Managers at the Louvre have stressed that staff are not trained to confront thieves and are asked to prioritize the evacuation of visitors.
The security failures highlighted by the break-in on a Sunday morning in broad daylight have cast a harsh spotlight on management of the institution and director Laurence des Cars.
Trade unions are pressing for more recruitment and better maintenance of the vast former royal palace, launching several days of strikes in recent months.
Another stoppage on Monday forced a full closure for the third time since December, leaving thousands of tourists disappointed outside again.
Four suspects are in police custody over the October 19 heist, including the two suspected thieves, but the eight stolen items of French crown jewels worth an estimated $102 million have not been found.
During the roughly four minutes that the two men were inside the gallery, one staff member can be seen holding a bollard used to orient visitors through the gallery, according to France Televisions.
The images, as well as multiple DNA samples found at the scene, form a key part of the ongoing criminal investigation into the robbery.
Details of the footage have been reported in French newspapers, including Le Parisien.
Metal bars have been installed over the windows of the Apollo Gallery since the break-in.