US-Vietnam trade deal rekindles China tensions

Trump shakes Beijing truce by singling out transshipment in first Asian pact

2025-04-16T091220Z_319986668_RC2TYDAH8U8X_RTRMADP_3_USA-TRUMP-TARIFFS-VIETNAM.JPG

A container is loaded onto a ship at Vietnam's Hai Phong port. The U.S. intends to impose 40% tariffs on goods transshipped through the Southeast Asian country. © Reuters

STELLA YIFAN XIE

HONG KONG -- U.S. President Donald Trump's hefty tariff on imports transshipped through Vietnam puts China back in the crosshairs, analysts say, injecting fresh uncertainty into a fragile trade truce between the two superpowers.

In a preliminary trade deal with Vietnam this week, Trump said the U.S. will impose a 20% tariff on all goods from the Southeast Asian country but 40% on all "transshipping." In return, Vietnam's imports from the U.S. -- which totaled merely $13 billion last year, versus $142 billion in exports -- will face zero tariff.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored ContentThis content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.