Did You Know That…

…Donald Trump pulled back from his latest and biggest round of punitive tariffs by announcing a 90-day pause for countries that did not impose retaliatory trade duties, taking them down to a 10% tariff. He did not offer any relief to China. After this announcement, stock markets rebounded, clawing back some of their earlier losses. Wall Street and business titans voiced their criticisms of Mr. Trump’s trade policy. which may have been a factor in pushing him to pause the tariffs.

…Earlier in the week the dollar fell amid fears of a recession.

China’s state-owned shipping giants join Beijing’s stock market rescue effort.

·         Chinese state-owned shipping firms are accelerating share buybacks to support the stock market amid rising US-China trade tensions

·         Authorities are directing market support efforts, with firms reporting buyback progress frequently and financial institutions urged to boost stock holdings

·         Markets saw a modest rebound, helped by buybacks, intervention of ‘national team’, and Beijing’s restrained response to new US tariffs.

China’s state-owned shipping firms have joined a broader state-led effort to stabilise the stock market through accelerated share buybacks, as Beijing moves to shore up investor confidence and counter the impact of escalating US tariffs.

…Last minute US intervention at IMO threatens to derail climate negotiations.

·         US intervenes in IMO climate negotiations, threatening member states with ‘reciprocal measures’ should they agree to a carbon levy

·         Emissions reduction measures would ‘impose substantial economic burdens on the sector and drive inflation globally’, argues US

·         US rejects ‘any and all effort

The US has dropped a diplomatic bombshell on the pivotal international talks due to agree shipping’s decarbonisation regulatory measures. The threat of action against member states agreeing to a deal has the potential to derail talks.

…Trump capitulates on non-Chinese tariffs, adding to shipping uncertainty.

·         US president abruptly rescinds reciprocal tariffs on non-Chinese trading partners but jacks up China tariffs to 125%

·         North American import orders have fallen 20% week on week, according to Flexport, with declines expected to accelerate

·         Historically high Chinese tariffs are likely to put some US companies out of business and lead to some abandoned cargo at the ports.

World trade is being redirected at a moment’s notice by social media posts of a single person: Donald Trump. Wednesday’s surprise social media post was a bad sign for the future of US-China trade but positive for container flows from other countries.

…Can China fight America alone? The world’s two biggest economies begin an almighty trade clash. The tariffs on China are so extravagantly high because it chose to retaliate, punch for punch, against what it calls America’s “economic bullying”. When President Donald Trump unveiled a 34% tariff on China on April 2nd, China matched it. When Mr Trump then raised it to 84%, China answered in kind. Then, hours after America’s tariff came into effect, Mr Trump took a third swing. He hiked the levy from 104% at noon (including an earlier penalty of 20% related to China’s role in fentanyl production) to 125% after dusk.

…China strikes back with more tariffs but signals end to US ‘numbers game’. Trade has stalled, stoking fears of deeper decoupling and global disruption. China has once again hit back with retaliatory tariffs on the US, but stated it will stop playing ‘the numbers game’.

…'Tariff today, gone tomorrow' taking transpac box trade to the brink. Transpacific blank sailings surge as US-China trade war intensifies.

·         Blank sailings surge as carriers rapidly cut capacity on major Transpacific routes, driven by escalating US–China tariffs and collapsing booking volumes.

·         West Coast and East Coast trades hit, with planned capacity from Asia to North America falling by up to 14% in recent weeks; blanked teu volumes have risen over sixfold.

·         Carriers respond with short-term adjustments, avoiding permanent network changes for now, while smaller niche players face potential service closures amid deep uncertainty.

…Amid escalating US–China trade tensions and volatile tariffs, container carriers are aggressively blanking sailings on transpacific routes, slashing capacity and reshuffling services to manage collapsing demand and mounting uncertainty.

…‘Buckle up. This is going to get really bumpy,’ warns LA port boss.

·         Large US importers with ‘globally famous brands’ have temporarily halted orders from China, reports Port of Los Angeles executive director Gene Seroka

·         March import volumes were strong due to frontloading, while cargo already in transit will support April volumes, but the numbers will begin to fall in May

·         Around 40% of US containerised imports are from China; these cargoes now face an unprecedented tariff of 145%

There is a lag between the tariff effect on loadings in China and imports at US ports. Containerships will arrive full for the next few weeks as the final cargoes shipped before the tariff deadline make their way across the Pacific. Then the import numbers will sink.

…TIBA Group, our esteemed member in multiple countries, has acquired TOTAL Freight Worldwide, a forwarding company that bases its strategy on specialization in the most complex sectors of logistics, like CEIV-PHARMA, GDP, OAS, ISO, PNS, IATA. For more information, refer to attached notification.

…Opening a deepwater terminal in Vietnam. The Hateco Group, a Vietnamese logistics and infrastructure firm, and the global operator APM Terminals, part of A.P. Moller-Maersk, have officially opened the Hateco Haiphong International Container Terminal (HHIT) at Lach Huyen port. Saudia Cargo has expanded its global network with new routes connecting Zhengzhou (China), Liège (Belgium) and Saudi Arabia, which also support Saudi Arabia’s ‘Vision 2030’ to position the kingdom as a key global logistics hub.

…CMA CGM buys 35% stake in Egyptian dry port. The French carrier will take an active operational role in the October Dry Port. The acquisition strengthens CMA CGM’s presence in Egypt, alongside the container terminal it operates at Alexandria and the new terminal at Sokhna due to open next year.

…Hong Kong’s taxi drivers are famously rude, and getting ruder. In 2023 there were 11,500 complaints about them as a group, an increase of 53% on 2022. Many insist on only cash, but will not stop at an ATM. HK taxi drivers are also being overtaken by Uber, also because the grumpy taxi drivers push passengers into the arms of Uber. Anyway, the pressure to smile is increasing.

…There’s hardly any international trade in onions. 90% of all onions are consumed in the country where they’re grown. Remark from your author: from the Netherlands, onions are a big export-commodity, shipped in temperature controlled containers, many to West Africa..

…Revenues from last-mile deliveries carried out by robots are forecast to grow from USD 260 million in 2025 to USD 1.74 billion by 2032.

…Thailand has many festivals. One of the most famous is the Water Festival. Celebrate from April 13 to 15, when the rest of the world is still cool, Thailand is in the midst of a water-throwing war with hot weather. Happy Songkran New Year to our EAA friends in Thailand.

…A flight from the dollar could wreck America’s finances. The currency’s dominance enables very high debts and deficits, meaning a plunge might spell disaster.

…This DYKT news bulletin will be published on the website as well, go to www.eaanetwork.com.

Have a good rest of the week !