US President Donald Trump’s latest threat of an extra 100 per cent tariff on Chinese goods has left exporters in China on edge, with many scrambling to ship their products before the tariffs take effect.
Some hope that the tariffs might be lifted at the last moment, as has happened with previous measures, but most remain doubtful that there will be a reprieve this time around.
Trump on Friday announced an additional 100 per cent tariff on all Chinese imports from November 1, doubling down on his tough trade stance in retaliation for Beijing’s widened export curbs on rare earth materials and technologies a day earlier.
In some factories in China, the warehouse lights will stay on around the clock. Allen Yao, a digital equipment exporter from Guangzhou, a manufacturing hub in southern Guangdong province, said the only response he and his peers could make was to rush shipments.
“If the tariffs really kick in on November 1, most companies have no contingency plans,” Yao said.
“I could only try to schedule several containers today to ship before that date.
