U.S.–China container bookings surge nearly 300% after tariff pause

U.S. bookings for container transport from China have surged nearly 300% following a temporary pause in tariffs between the two countries, according to container-tracking firm Vizion.

The spike marks a swift rebound in trade activity after weeks of disruption tied to escalating duties.

In the seven days ending Wednesday, average bookings jumped to 21,530 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), up 277% from the weekly average of 5,709 TEUs recorded through May 5, said Ben Tracy, Vizion’s vice president of strategic business development.

Shipping volumes had sharply declined after former President Donald Trump announced on April 2 plans to impose 145% tariffs on Chinese goods. That outlook shifted dramatically this week when Washington and Beijing agreed to a 90-day pause in their trade war.

As part of the agreement, the U.S. scaled back tariffs to 30% while China lowered its duties on American goods to 10%.

“We are definitely starting to see the bookings return now that this temporary pause is in effect,” Tracy said.

German shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd also reported a 50% week-on-week increase in U.S.-China traffic in the early days of the week. CEO Rolf Habben Jansen noted that the company had already seen an uptick in volume following the truce and expected further increases in the coming weeks.