China front-loading choppy as Trump uncertainty washes over trade

Threats of even higher U.S. tariffs and hefty port fees keep shippers on edge

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Vehicles drive past shipping containers from China at the Port of Los Angeles on Feb. 4. The port reported the busiest start to a year in its history. © Reuters

STELLA YIFAN XIE and PAK YIU

HONG KONG/NEW YORK -- Asian exporters continue to front-load shipments to the U.S. in fits and starts, as U.S. President Donald Trump pulls tariff levers and threatens hefty fees on Chinese vessels.

U.S.-bound container volumes surged in the first two months of 2025, with the Port of Los Angeles reporting the busiest start in its 117-year history. U.S. ports tracked by the National Retail Federation (NRF) handled 4.3 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the first two months this year, fresh data showed this week, versus 3.91 million last year. February, typically the slowest month due to the Lunar New Year holidays in China, was the busiest it had been in three years.

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