Shanghai [China], April 14: The intensifying trade standoff between China and the United States is beginning to severely impact China’s export economy, with major ports and manufacturing hubs slowing down dramatically, according to a report by Radio Free Asia (RFA).
As of Thursday, once-busy export terminals in Shanghai and Guangdong saw little to no outbound cargo movement to the United States. Local sources told RFA that export factories, particularly in Zhejiang and Guangdong—China’s two leading export provinces—have largely halted production due to mounting uncertainty and unshipped inventory.
Business owners described a growing backlog of shipping containers stuck at ports. These containers, originally scheduled to ship before the April 9 deadline, were left behind as vessels rushed to set sail ahead of a major U.S. tariff hike.
Inside warehouses, products intended for the U.S. market remain untouched, and the factory floors have fallen silent. The export paralysis comes in response to new trade measures announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, who this week imposed a 125% “reciprocal tariff” on Chinese imports—on top of a prior 20% tariff related to China’s alleged involvement in the fentanyl trade.
The White House clarified that these tariffs bring the total effective tariff on Chinese goods to 145%.
The latest round of tariffs was triggered by a 10% levy imposed in early February, with President Trump citing China’s role in the trafficking of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid contributing to an epidemic of overdose deaths in the U.S.
The looming tariffs had sparked a frenzied export push in the days leading up to the April 9 deadline. Terminals like Yangshan and Waigaoqiao in Shanghai, as well as Yantian in Shenzhen, witnessed intense shipping activity as exporters scrambled to meet the cut-off.
Now, the activity has come to a near halt. Qian, a businessman from Guangdong currently in Shanghai, confirmed the visible slowdown at the port, noting that the effects of the trade war are being felt deeply by manufacturers and logistics firms alike.
The standoff marks one of the most significant disruptions to China’s export sector in recent years, threatening to further destabilize global supply chains and deepen economic tensions between the world’s two largest economies.