Desert ports, shortage of essential goods and empty tablets: the prices imposed by Donald Trump will soon have serious consequences for American consumers, warn economists and managers of large companies.
• Read also: The lie detector – polls are lying and freedom of expression is restored, according to Trump
The collapse of expeditions to the main ports of the United States, the result of the pricing war launched by President Trump, has already started and is expected to be packed in the coming weeks, warns Geneka, the most important director of the port of Los Angeles.
“I predict that in two weeks, arrivals will drop by 35%, because almost all the expeditions of large retailers and manufacturers of China have ceased due to the customs duties in force. Cargalers from Southeast Asia are also much less numerous than usual, ”he told Washington Post, mardi.
California’s state port could lose more than 224,000 containers in May, according to the predictions of the Sea-Intelligence supply chains research company.
AFP
Containers in the port of Los Angeles.
Similar falls are to be expected in most of the major ports of the country. Many entrepreneurs have canceled their orders from goods from China after the tax earlier this month of 145% customs prices on imports from the Asian giant.
-Managers of large American companies, including the bosses of Walmart and Target, have warned that these disturbances in the supply chains may increase prices and empty the tablets of their stores.
Inevitable damage
Last weekend, the American secretary to the Treasury, Scott Bessent, suggested the possibility of an agreement with China on customs duties.
However, even if Donald Trump decided to change his rifle – as he has often done since January -, the economic damage resulting from customs prices will persist for a while.
If Beijing and Washington agree to put an end to pricing hostilities, it would actually take 30 days for economic activity to return to normal in the port of Los Angeles and 50 days in the ports of New York and New Jersey, experts say.
Concrete increases on Friday
The 145% tariffs on Chinese imports, imposed since April 9, should hurt consumers’ wallets.
Since Friday, these customs duties have applied to a new category of goods: Chinese products of less than $ 800.
It will be, for several Americans, the first visible proof of the impact of customs duties on the price of household items, clothing and other articles in daily life purchased from online sellers abroad.
– with information from Washington PostBBC, Wired and Premier New York Times
