Tariffs

Even though this development is unlikely to have a material impact on the current state of global trade, specifically as it relates to tariffs and the ongoing U.S.-China trade war, it was very interesting to hear thoughts about it from two of the foremost U.S.-based trade experts on a call hosted last week by the Port of Los Angeles (POLA), POLA Executive Director Gene Seroka and National Retail Federation Vice President of Supply Chain and Customs...

To say the relationship between the United States and China is complicated is an understatement. And that is even more clear today, given the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on their respective economies and the global economy, at larger, coupled with the increasing tensions between the two global superpowers embroiled in a trade war and at odds over the origins of COVID-19, too.

In an odd example of unintended consequences, the U.S. government still is collecting as much as 25% tariffs from Chinese manufacturers on face masks and other protective wear for U.S. health care workers on the front lines of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

February shipments—at 846,054—decreased 7.5% compared to February 2019, and containerized freight shipments, for the month, were down 4.5%. On a year-to-date basis through February, U.S.-bound waterborne shipments—at 1,874,305—are down 5.4% compared to the same period a year ago.

Professor Shereazad Jimmy Gandhi discusses top trends and issues in supply chain management.

The coronavirus is continuing to impact United States-bound consumer goods originating out of China, according to the most recent edition of the Port Tracker report, which was issued today by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.

By handling complex laws and other requirements, today’s global trade management solutions are helping shippers navigate the increasingly complicated global business environment.

While the ink may now be dry from the United States-China Phase One trade deal coming to fruition on January 15, there are more than a few things to watch out for and keep in mind going forward.

Shippers who are current on the global trade landscape are assets to their service partners and clients. Our global trade expert provides us with a review of the key trade topics that should be top of mind as we enter 2020.

U.S. reports covered in the report handled 1.95 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU) in October, the most recent month for which data is available, which is up 0.6% over September’s 1.97 million TEU and down 7.5% annually compared to the 2 million TEU handled in October 2018, which stands as the all-time monthly record.

A “systemic cultural difference” in trade negotiations may be keeping global supply chain managers on edge next year, maintains one prominent political expert. “U.S.-China Relations: Reflections on a Gathering Storm,” hosted by the World Affairs Council in San Francisco, featured David M. Lampton, an authority on Sino-American relations at Stanford University.

POLA reported that total volume for the month, at 770,189 TEU (twenty-foot equivalents), was off 19.1% annually, facing a difficult annual comparison to October 2018, and POLB reported that total volume, at 688,425 TEU, were off 2.4% annually.

A final tariff push set to take effect in December is pegged to result in another month of increased import activity for United States-based retail container ports, according to the most recent edition of the Port Tracker Report, which was issued late last week by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and maritime consultancy Hackett Associates.

While reports this week point to the possibility of progress being made on the phase one trade deal between the United States and China in the ongoing tariff-centric trade war, that does not diminish the impact and increased costs that this situation has wrought to date. That sentiment was made clear in data issued this week by Tariffs Hurt the Heartland, a nationwide, bipartisan campaign focused on telling the stories of American families, businesses and workers who are hurt by...

Supply chain storms aren’t going away, and as you seek solutions to shelter your company from uncertainty, grow into new regions, or try to maintain your existing base, you need to equip your supply chain team with the right gear.