Trump says China 'reneged' on Boeing deal as tensions flare

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday 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.

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.

But he did not provide further details on the Boeing pact he was referring to.

Although Trump has slapped new tariffs on friend and foe since returning to the presidency this year, he reserved his heaviest blows for China -- imposing additional 145 percent levies on many Chinese imports.

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Trump took aim at Beijing again on Tuesday, 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 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.

Since the start of the year, Trump has imposed steep duties on imports from China, alongside a 10 percent "baseline" tariff on many US trading partners.

His administration recently widened exemptions for these tariffs, excluding certain tech products like smartphones and laptops from the global 10 percent tariff and latest 125 percent levy on China.

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But many Chinese imports still face the total 145 percent additional tariff, or at least an earlier 20 percent levy that 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 percent levy of its own on imported American products.

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 percent lower on Tuesday morning.

Source: AFP