• WSJ – The number of ships sailing from China to the U.S. laden with clothes, electronics, furniture and other goods is plunging, as an accelerating number of cargoes are canceled.
  • The scrapped sailings come after the Trump administration ratcheted up tariffs on China while giving a three-month reprieve on punitive levies for much of the rest of the world.
  • At the Port of Los Angeles, one of America’s biggest gateways for imports from China, executive director Gene Seroka told port officials Thursday that he expects a 35% drop in import volumes in two weeks “as essentially all shipments out of China for major retailers and manufacturers has ceased.”
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  • Bookings out of China fell 60% in the past week after Trump imposed a succession of tariffs on China that reached 145% on April 9, according to Nathan Strang, director of ocean freight at Flexport, a San Francisco-based company that helps companies ship cargo around the world.
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  • ♦ Key point for consideration: Just because cargo comes from Vietnam, Cambodia and/or Malaysia ports instead of China, does not mean the product within the cargo is not Chinese.  In reality the tentacles of Beijing’s proactive positioning are very visible within each of the aforementioned nations.
  • It is also obvious from the approach taken by President Trump and his trade team; they are well aware of the belt-and-road hubs China established in the past decade.
  • The narrative will be that fewer container ships from China (tariff impact) will have a negative impact on dock workers and tradespeople who work in the ports for U.S. imports.  Fewer imported cargo containers equal less work for the longshoremen; that’s the first part of this predictable corporate narrative.  However, in 2024 President Trump was forcefully out front in supporting the ILA union contract position.
  • Will the International Longshoremen’s Association stand with Trump, or will they drop support as the global trade reset emphasizes domestically manufactured jobs?  That will be an interesting aspect to watch because the dockworker union leadership will face massive pressure to comply with the anti-tariff narrative.
  •   Democrats will blame President Trump for empty shelves, missing parts or finished consumer goods (true or not).  Even small sector products that might be missing will be dramatically emphasized.  Prepare for this, because it will be part of the 2026 election narrative.

  • Source: theconservativetreehouse.com