US-China Tariff Truce Triggers Cargo Stampede, Scramble to Diversify Beyond China: Analysts

The 90-day tariff reprieve has triggered record cargo bookings, soaring rates, and a rush to add factories outside China before duties snap back.

A cargo ship loaded with containers leaves the port in Qingdao, China, on May 7, 2025. AFP via Getty Images

News Analysis

When word broke on May 12 that Washington and Beijing had agreed to a 90-day tariff pause, containers quickly piled up at Shenzhen’s Yantian International Container Terminal, the port that handles more than a quarter of U.S.-bound cargo.