The Trump administration is set to announce a ban on Chinese passenger airlines flying to the United States Wednesday after it was determined that China failed to comply with an existing agreement on passenger flights.
The ban is expected to go into effect June 16, according to American and airline officials, but could potentially be moved up by President Donald Trump, Reuters reported. The move is mainly meant to put pressure on China to allow American air carriers to resume flights to China, and is the latest development amid growing tensions between the two powers.
The Trump administration initially banned entry for most non-citizens who had recently been in China following a proclamation declared January 31. However, it was revealed that 279 flights had arrived in the US from China in the two months following the proclamation due to the number of American citizens traveling between the two countries.
Passengers in Guangzhou board a China Southern airlines plane, one of the carriers affected by the ban (STR/AFP via Getty Images)
The Chinese government then suspended flights from international destinations into mainland China, and by February major American carriers had voluntarily suspended passenger flights to China. (RELATED: FLASHBACK: Let’s Take A Look At How The Press Covered Trump’s China Travel Ban)
Tensions increased between the two countries when the Department of Transportation accused China of barring American carriers from resuming flights to the country, announcing May 22 that Chinese airlines would have to file flight applications. Beijing denounced the move and upheld its restrictions on American carriers, causing American carriers like Delta Airlines and United Airlines to turn to the US government for aid, CNBC reported.
The Wednesday order applies to Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and Hainan Airlines, according to Reuters. The administration is also expected to crack down on Chinese charter flights and will warn American carriers not to expect approvals.