Catenaa, Tuesday, July 29, 2025- China trade numbers have started to slow down after almost three months of record-breaking volumes, as tariff fears ease in the global market.
According to data released Monday by the Ministry of Transport, Cargo throughput at China’s ports was 6.2 million containers last week, which was the lowest since the second week in May and a drop of almost 7% from the previous week.
May and June marked a historic high point for China’s goods trade, with more than 30 million containers processed by the nation’s ports in each month, well above any other 30-day period on record.
The unprecedented volumes have supported the broader economy as companies tried to get ahead of Donald Trump’s tariffs. But the boost from front-loading may start to peter out now, as the US negotiates more deals across the world and tariffs on China look likely to stay at about 50%.
Air-freight demand continues to be strong, however, with almost 3,500 international cargo flights coming and going from China last week, well above the levels at this time last year.
The US and China began their round of trade talks on Monday in Stockholm, in which the main focus is on an extension of a tariff pause.
Markets are looking for an extension there, as well as several other issues that are in the forefront, especially issues like rare earth minerals and semiconductor export controls.
It’s also, hopefully, from these negotiators’ perspective, set the stage for a big Trump-Xi meeting later this year.
