US to bar Chinese passenger carriers.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has announced plans to bar Chinese passenger carriers from flying to the United States starting June 16.
The move, set to be officially announced later today, penalises China after it failed to comply with an existing agreement on flights between the two countries.
China currently has the so-called “Five One” rule implemented for international passenger flights, which limits one airline to serving one country from one Chinese city to one foreign city with no more than one flight a week.
The rule was placed as the coronavirus spread around the world shutting down economies.
However, now as economies reopen, Beijing has made no indication that the “Five One” rule will be removed, preventing US carriers, mainly Delta and United, from resuming flights to mainland China.
“The Chinese government’s failure to approve their requests is a violation of our Air Transport Agreement,” the Department of Transportation said in an emailed statement.
Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Hainan Airlines are the carriers expected to be affected by the Trump administration’s new order.
The DOT said the US President can enforce the ban sooner than June 16 if he so chooses.
Relations between the two countries have soured in recent months amid escalating tensions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic and China’s influence in Hong Kong.
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