Overview

• A Boeing 737 MAX intended for China's Xiamen Airlines returned to Seattle after making refueling stops in Guam and Hawaii.
• The return follows U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports rising to 145% and China imposing 125% tariffs on U.S. goods, making deliveries prohibitively expensive.
• It remains unclear whether the decision to return the aircraft was made by Chinese authorities, Xiamen Airlines, or Boeing itself.
• China reportedly instructed its airlines to halt further Boeing deliveries, though officials have denied making a formal announcement.
• The escalating trade war threatens Boeing's recovery in China, its second-largest market, after a previous five-year import freeze on the 737 MAX.