TRUMP decides to block Chinese airlines from flying into the USA

The Trump Administration has issued an order  suspending passenger flights from China from 16 June justifying that the step is being taken in retaliation to China’s refusal to let US airlines resume flights to China. The order still needs final approval from US President Donald Trump. The US Department of Transportation order applies to four airlines – Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Hainan Airlines, which have continued to fly between the two countries during the pandemic. The Trump administration has said it would continue to “engage” on the air travel issue. Beijing in March said domestic and foreign airlines could operate no more than one weekly flight between China and any given country with ridders that carriers could not exceed the level of service they were offering on 12 March. The Department of Transportation said the March order had effectively banned US airlines  which had voluntarily suspended service between the two countries in February due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Transportation Department said the Chinese government is violating an agreement between the two countries for international travel by preventing United Airlines and Delta Air Lines from resuming the trans-oceanic flights. Those airlines had asked to resume service on June 1. United, Delta, and American suspended service to China due to the coronavirus pandemic. The US government also instituted travel restrictions to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Amidst a war of words with China headed by Xi Jinping, Donald J. Trump has tweeted  “I feel more and more confident that our economy is in the early stages of coming back very strong. Not everyone agrees with me, but I have little doubt. Watch for September, October, November. Next year will be one of the best ever, and look at the Stock Market NOW’’! FOX NEWS says, Businesses are starting to reopen or explore how to do so, as states and cities ease restrictions on public activities. With states easing travel restrictions and mortgage rates at all-time lows, there are growing signs of a resurgence in what only a few months ago had been a hot housing market. Prospective homebuyers flooded back into the market after weeks of sheltering in place. A poll done by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce indicated that small businesses are reopening with many seeing things getting back to normal in about six months, the time that many say they’ll be rehiring. Wednesday’s report on private hiring by the payroll company ADP showed job loss in the private sector slowing and weekly jobless claims have been slowly coming down. ’ (edited by PKC)