The Biden administration said on Friday that it would suspend 44 flights from the United States to China operated by Chinese airlines in retaliation for China’s imposing similar restrictions on American companies in recent weeks.
The Chinese government has canceled the flights, operated by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, after passengers on their planes tested positive for the virus after arriving in China. The passengers had tested negative before getting on their planes.
In the order on Friday, the U.S. Transportation Department described the suspensions by China, which run through early March, as punitive and unfair.
China’s aviation authority canceled the flights using a “circuit breaker” provision intended to allow the country to limit the spread of the virus. According to the U.S. order, China’s policies allow
