Iran Press/America: President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday barred Chinese passenger carriers from flying to the United States starting on June 16 as it pressures Beijing to let US air carriers resume flights amid simmering tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
The move, announced by the US Department of Transportation, penalizes China for failing to comply with an existing agreement on flights between the two countries, Reuters reported.
US-Chinese relations have soured in recent months amid tensions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic and Beijing’s move to impose new national security legislation for Chinese Taipei.
The order applies to Air China (601111.SS), China Eastern Airlines Corp, China Southern Airlines Co (600029.SS), and Hainan Airlines Holding Co (600221.SS), as well as smaller Sichuan Airlines Co and Xiamen Airlines Co. Chinese carriers are currently flying four round-trip flights to the United States weekly.
Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) and United Airlines (UAL.O) have asked to resume flights to China this month, even as Chinese carriers have continued US flights during the pandemic.
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Trump administration on May 22 accused China’s government of making it impossible for US airlines to resume service to China and ordered four Chinese carriers to file flight schedules with the US government.
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