The spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry, Lin Jian, praised Brazil as “a huge aeronautical power” amid rumors about the suspension of aircraft purchases from the US company Boeing in retaliation for the trade tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. The statement was a response to a question from BdF at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday (16).
According to Jian, “China attaches importance to practical cooperation with Brazil in various sectors, including aviation.” He stressed that the country “will be happy to see Chinese airlines cooperate with Brazil based on market principles.”
On Tuesday (15), Bloomberg published about the possible suspension of Boeing jet imports, citing anonymous sources, which caused the US company’s shares to fall. On the same day, Brazilian Aeronautics Company (Embraer, in Portuguese) shares rose. The Brazilian company is the third largest commercial aircraft manufacturer in the world, after Boeing and Airbus.
US tariffs affect Boeing’s already difficult situation
Even if the suspension is not confirmed, Boeing’s situation is not easy because of Chinese counter-tariffs implemented in response to Donald Trump’s tariff policy.
China’s 125% tariffs on US products came into force on April 12. This new tax could be added to those already in place in the aviation sector (1% to 5%), bringing them to 126%-130%, which has significantly increased the cost for Chinese companies to import Boeing aircraft and parts.
In 2024, Chinese imports of helicopters, aircraft and parts totaled more than US$12 billion, of which more than half (US$6.2 billion) were purchases from companies based in the United States, according to data from China’s General Administration of Customs.
Last year, the North American company saw a significant drop in revenues ($66.5 billion), compared to 2023 ($77.7 billion).
At the beginning of 2024, the door of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 opened mid-flight, which led to reports of faults on other planes and an audit by the US Federal Aviation Administration (AFA). In February this year, the agency demanded that the company present a plan to resolve “systemic quality control problems.”
