In mid-April 2025, claims emerged online that China had ceased all orders of airplanes from Boeing, the U.S. aircraft manufacturer. These claims were based on a Bloomberg News report citing anonymous sources. According to the report, China instructed its airlines not to accept further deliveries of Boeing jets as part of an escalating trade war involving tariffs as high as 145% on Chinese goods imposed by the U.S. Additionally, China reportedly asked its carriers to stop purchasing aircraft-related equipment from U.S. companies.
Snopes investigated the claim but could not independently verify it due to reliance on anonymous sources. Boeing has not commented on the matter. The White House and the Commerce Department were contacted for confirmation, along with the Chinese Embassy, but no responses have been received yet.
The financial impact on Boeing might be minimal, as analysts from Bloomberg, J.P. Morgan, and Bank of America stated that China is not critical to Boeing’s development in the near future. Undelivered planes could potentially be sold in other markets such as India. Despite the uncertainty, Boeing reported a backlog worth $512 billion, including orders for 5,500 commercial airplanes.
Without official confirmation, the claim remains unverified. However, large exporters like Boeing are closely monitoring how U.S. tariffs affect their international trade capabilities.
— new from Snopes