The U.S. shipping and logistics industry is beginning to feel the effect of the Trump administration’s tariffs on Chinese imports, and experts are warning U.S. consumers that they will soon start to see changes themselves.
Investors Observer, a investment trade publication, analyzed the U.S. states that are most and least reliant on Chinese imports in order predict the economic fallout of tariffs.
Unsurprisingly, the publication said that the nation’s two busiest ports, the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, both in California, were likely to suffer from a drop in Chinese imports, since 25 percent of the state’s total imports – equivalent to 12 percent of the state’s GDP – come from China.
Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka echoed the same concern in a board of commissioners meeting on 24 April, telling those in attendance that “essentially, all shipments out of China for major retailers and manufacturers have ceased,” according to Investor’s Business Daily (IBD).
“United States consumers and manufacturers alike will find difficult decisions in the weeks and months to come if policies don’t change,” Seroka said.
The reciprocal tariff pause had not helped matters, he added, since retailers and manufacturers put in orders from Asian manufacturers months in advance.
According to Investors Observer, other states that are highly vulnerable are Nevada, which has the highest reliance on Chinese imports in terms of tonnage, and Tennessee, where imports from China make up 22 percent of the state’s GDP...
