Saving Seafood

After latest escalation, tariffs between US and China stand at 125 percent – for now

April 11, 2025 — Both the United States and China have set tariffs of 125 percent on goods from the other nation after just over a week of back-and-forth increases.

China’s Ministry of Finance announced on 11 April it is imposing tariffs on imported goods from the U.S. of 125 percent, up from the 84 percent it announced just days before. That amount is in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s escalation of tariffs, which at first were increased to 54 percent, then bumped up again to 104 percent, before finally being increased to 125 percent as Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for most other countries.

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Trump pauses tariffs on most countries, but raises tariffs on China to 125 percent

April 9, 2025 — U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for most countries targeted by his “reciprocal” tariff action but raised tariffs on Chinese exports to 125 percent after the country promised retaliatory tariffs of its own.

Both China and Europe have announced retaliatory tariffs on goods from the U.S. as sweeping tariffs announced on 2 April by U.S. President Donald Trump were set to take effect on 9 April.

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Experts see impact of U.S. tariffs in cargo level and container booking forecasts

April 9, 2025 —  Retail, shipping, and logistics industry stakeholders are already seeing the impacts of U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff program and warn of more to come.

Trump first announced a set of sweeping tariffs on 2 April that were going to hit every country with tariffs ranging from 10 percent to 50 percent. A later announcement on 9 April paused those tariffs for most countries, while raising tariffs against China to 125 percent.

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WASHINGTON: WA farmers, seafood producers brace for Chinese tariffs as trade war deepens

April 7, 2025 — Another day, another Washington state industry caught in the trade crossfire between the U.S. and much of the rest of the world.

On Friday, farmers, seafood companies and other food makers in Washington were weighing potential damage after China announced 34% tariffs on U.S. exports, starting next Thursday, in retaliation for a new 34% U.S. tariff on Chinese goods announced Wednesday by President Donald Trump.

Though not unexpected, China’s tariff tit-for-tat means yet more pain for trade-reliant Washington, which last year sold nearly $700 million in everything from beef and seafood to wheat and hay to China, the state’s No. 4 export market for agricultural goods and seafood.

“It’s just unprecedented, what’s happening,” said Mark Anderson of Ellensburg-based Anderson Hay, which sells 70% of its crop overseas, including in China, of the latest tariffs. “And the more you dive into the details, the scarier the consequences are, because they’re all unknown.”

Read the full article at The Seattle Times

China hits all US goods with 34 percent tariff, escalating Trump trade war

April 4, 2025 — China’s Ministry of Finance has announced 34 percent tariffs on all U.S. goods in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest tariff order.

Trump announced sweeping tariffs 2 April targeting nearly every country in the world with a baseline 10 percent tariff. As part of the trade action, China was hit with an additional 34 percent tariff, adding to two existing tariff actions to reach a 54 percent tariff on Chinese goods.

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As Trump administration upends international trade, seafood companies point out areas for improvement

March 28, 2025 — With U.S. President Donald Trump set on reordering international trade to align with his “America First” priorities, seafood companies have been quick to list areas where they would like to see improvements.

Trump has moved swiftly in the first months of his second term to change the nation’s trade policies, threatening and implementing tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China.

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Recent bout of USAID funding cuts include over USD 1 million to China fisheries watchdog

March 13, 2025 — Attempts from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to shutter the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have resulted in over USD 1 million (EUR 920,000) of funding being cut off to an Australian research organization that has heavily reported on China’s fishing ambitions.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institution (ASPI), a Canberra, Australia-based defense and strategic policy think tank, reportedly lost USD 1.2 million (USD 1.1 million) in USAID funding for research on China, according to the Wall Street Journal.

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Trump administration escalates trade war; seafood largely unaffected for now

March 12, 2025 — The seafood industry has so far mostly avoided tariffs on imports amid the global trade war started by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum from all countries with no exemption starting 12 March, and the European Union and Canada immediately retaliated with new tariffs of their own. Trump claimed the tariffs are being imposed as imports of steel and aluminum pose a “national security threat.”

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Uncertainty surrounding US tariffs spurs rising import cargo levels

March 11, 2025 — Container ports in the United States are seeing elevated cargo levels, according to the Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates. The report comes amid rising uncertainty over tariffs in the U.S., where President Donald Trump’s rapidly evolving trade policy has shaken up the shipping industry and sent a chill through markets. 

NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said that uncertainty around tariffs, particularly those on goods from China, is leading retailers to rush their imports into the country.

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