China's Port Activity Slows Sharply As Trump Tariff War Escalates

China's weekly processed cargo volumes through its ports dropped nearly 10% sequentially as U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs kicked in.

According to Ministry of Transport data, Chinese ports processed 244 million metric tonnes of cargo between April 7 and 13, a 4% decline from the same week last year.

The reported week marked the first decline in Chinese sea cargo volumes since the Lunar New Year.

Data showed that ports handled the most cargo in the last week of March in anticipation of fresh tariffs.

Total processed container volumes also fell 6.1% over the week compared to the one before.  

Customs data showed earlier on Monday that the country's exports rose 12.4% in U.S. dollar terms last month compared to a year earlier.

Many companies likely frontloaded shipments in March to avoid the tariffs pledged by President Donald Trump's administration.

The U.S. has imposed a steep tariff rate of 145% on Chinese imports after Beijing retaliated by imposing its tariffs on U.S. goods.  

The current rate incorporates a 20% initial tariff imposed by the U.S. due to China's alleged involvement in fentanyl trafficking.

However, after turmoil in the financial markets, the Trump administration exempted several electronics products, including smartphones, computers, semiconductors, and solar cells, from the bulk of the tariffs.

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