De Minimis Ends for China and Hong Kong
The U.S. is closing a long-standing trade loophole that once allowed millions of parcels from China to enter the country duty-free. From 2 May 2025, the de minimis threshold—which exempts…
Archive: China
90 Day Tariff Roll Back
President Trump announcement on April 9, of a 90-day pause on retaliatory tariffs for US trading partners outside China has given importers a brief window to recalibrate - but it…
Air freight rates ex Hong Kong hold steady despite pressures
Airfreight rates from Hong Kong maintained their strength in February, remaining above last year’s figures despite market uncertainty stemming from trade policies and seasonal trends. Data from the Baltic Exchange…
Trade barriers rise as US impose tariffs
With President Trump’s new levies imposed on February 4th, Chinese imports into the US now face a 10% tariff increase, while China has responded with its own tariffs of up…
Minimising disruption this Chinese New Year 2025
The Chinese New Year (CNY), or Lunar New Year, is a joyous occasion in China but can be a challenging period for global supply chains. In 2025, the holiday begins…
Ex-Asia blanked sailings
Over the coming weeks, 48 cancelled sailings have been announced across the major East-West headhaul trades: Transpacific, Transatlantic, and Asia-North Europe & Mediterranean. Cancellations account for 7% of the total…
Sea freight faces capacity cuts and shifting alliances
While the early October strike at US East Coast ports was resolved after three days, the lingering impact of vessel backlogs and congestion will take time to clear. However, carriers…
Shipping lines secure capacity for the peak season
As we progress through the traditional container shipping peak season, analysing the planned levels of blank sailings and capacity deployment for the remainder of the third quarter provides valuable insight…
Considering what H2 2024 may have in store for sea freight
Diversions around the Red Sea and port congestion have absorbed any excess sea freight capacity that existed at the end of 2023, with spot rates rates more than doubling since…
Port congestion growing
The additional two weeks it takes for ships to sail around the Cape of Good Hope as a result of the Red Sea conflict’s effective closure of the Suez Canal…
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