U.S. Imports from China Fell in May

Imports arriving in the U.S. by container ship from China declined last month at the sharpest pace since the pandemic (Reuters, subscription).

What’s going on: “U.S. seaborne imports of goods from China dropped 28.5% year-over-year in May … as President Donald Trump’s 145% tariffs took hold.”

The news comes exactly a month after the U.S. and China reached an agreement to pause retaliatory tariffs for 90 days.

Why it’s important: China is a top exporter, and many businesses in the U.S. rely on receiving those goods to operate.

Overall imports arriving by ship fell 7.2% in May from May 2024, to 2.18 million 20-foot equivalent units. It ended a streak of near-record highs as companies frontloaded goods shipments due to tariff uncertainty.
The top imports from China are furniture, plastic goods, bedding, toys, machinery and sporting goods.

Where the decline was worst: The West Coast bore the brunt of the decline, as its ports receive high volumes of trade with China.

From April to May, the country’s busiest ports, in Long Beach and Los Angeles, saw steep declines in imports from China: 31.6% and 29.9%, respectively.

The backdrop: On Tuesday, following meetings in London between American and Chinese officials, President Trump announced that the two sides had reached a trade deal (Reuters, subscription).

“Port executives and shipping consultants expect volume from China to rebound during the tariff truce, albeit at a more moderate level. That’s because the U.S. lowered the tariff for many goods from China to 30% during the pause.”