Boeing a plane destined for the Chinese airline Xiamen Airlines has returned from Beijing in Seattle, as the first victim of bilateral tariffs initiated by US President Donald Trump.
It was the first of several 737 Max planes waiting at Boeing's Zhoushan center for final touches and delivery to a Chinese carrier, CNN reports.
This month, Trump raised the basic tariff on imports from China to 145 percent, to which Beijing responded with a 125 percent tariff on American goods.
Therefore, the Chinese airline that acquires the Boeing planes would be burdened with an additional large levy, considering that the new 737 Max costs about 55 million dollars.
The return of Boeing's best-selling model is the latest sign of disruption to new aircraft deliveries, due to the end of the airline industry's decades-old duty-free status.
Confusion over the change in tariff rates could prevent many aircraft deliveries, with some airline executives announcing they would rather delay purchases than pay tariffs.