Boeing Jet Returns to U.S. From China, A Victim of Trump’s Tariff War

A Boeing jet intended for use by a Chinese airline landed back at the planemaker's U.S. production hub over the weekend.

The 737 MAX was meant for China's Xiamen Airlines. I Photo: Boeing

It is yet another casualty of the tit-for-tat tariffs launched by President Donald Trump in his global trade offensive, Dan Catchpole and Lisa Barrington reported for Reuters on April 20, 2025.

The 737 MAX, which was meant for China's Xiamen Airlines, landed at Seattle's Boeing Field at 6:11 p.m. (0111 GMT), according to a Reuters witness. It was painted with Xiamen delivery.

The jet, which made refueling stops in Guam and Hawaii on its 5,000-mile (8,000-km) return journey, was one of several 737 MAX jets waiting at Boeing's Zhoushan completion center for final work and delivery to a Chinese carrier.

Trump this month raised baseline tariffs on Chinese imports to 145%. In retaliation, China imposed a 125% tariff on U.S. goods.

A Chinese airline taking delivery of a Boeing jet could be crippled by the tariffs, given that a new 737 MAX has a market value of around $55 million, according to IBA, an aviation consultancy.

It is not clear which party made the decision for the aircraft to return to the U.S.

The return of the 737 MAX, Boeing's best-selling model, is the latest sign of disruption to new aircraft deliveries amid a breakdown in the aerospace industry's decades-old duty-free status.