Airlines Fear Tariffs Will Stoke a U.S.-China Trade War

As the Trump Administration prepares to impose strict tariffs on many goods from China, executives at some of the world's largest airlines say they fear the president's decision could spur a trade war and depress demand for travel between the U.S. and China. "We are concerned," Zhihang Chi, Air China's vice president and general manager for North America, said in an email. "There’s no other way to put it." President Trump announced Thursday he had directed the U.S. trade representative to assess tariffs on up to $60 billion of Chinese goods. Administration officials have said they seek the tariffs both to punish Chinese companies to for stealing American intellectual property, and to protect American interests. The administration has not yet said exactly what goods will be affected, but details should come within a couple of weeks. Many experts, investors and business people fear the tariffs