US tariffs bring stalled shipments and uncertainty for Chinese exporters

17.04.2025 • 12:21

commersant/ კომერსანტი

Exporters at China’s largest trade fair spoke on Wednesday of stalled shipments and lower sales forecasts due to the ongoing trade war with the United States.

Zhang Haiyun, overseas sales director for Airdog, an air purifier maker based in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou, said her company has halted shipments to the U.S. since President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs of 145% on all products imported from China.

Basically, there are no freight companies willing to take orders because no one knows what will happen to the tariffs when the goods arrive,” Zhang told The Associated Press from her booth at the Canton Fair, which is China’s largest and oldest trade event.

Trump’s so-called “reciprocal tariffs” on China, and essentially all other U.S. trading partners, loomed heavily at the biannual fair, which has been held since 1957.

While the U.S. has postponed the implementation of most tariffs for three months, the duties on Chinese products remain in place pending a trade deal between the two nations. Beijing has retaliated with tariffs on U.S. goods that total 125%.

Zhang said the reciprocal tariffs were enacted just as her company’s business in the U.S. had started growing. Airdog sells various models of air purifiers in the U.S. and more than 90 other countries and regions around the world, with a focus on developing countries that have boosted trade with China under Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative.

She said her company was going to wait and see how things develop before moving production to other Southeast Asian countries.

Many Chinese companies have opened factories abroad since Trump’s first term in office in an attempt to avoid reciprocal tariffs between China and the U.S. But in his new round of tariff announcements, Trump targeted Southeast Asian nations with high duties, including 49% tariffs on imports from Cambodia and 46% duties on goods from Vietnam.

China’s President Xi Jinping is this week touring Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia, and making a case for free trade.

Exporters across both China and Southeast Asia have expressed concern about the tariffs’ impact on production lines and supply chains.

Wallace Huang, export business director at Weking Group, which makes small appliances such as rice cookers, air fryers and electric kettles, said his company has halted business with the U.S. for the moment.

We cannot rely on a single market,” Huang said, “We need to diversify our market. When the West is dark, the East is bright.”

Huang said his company’s exports to the U.S. have dropped between 5% and 10% since Trump’s first term in office, and that his company is looking to sell more to other developing nations.

Angel Li, a senior sales executive for Great Link, a logistics company focused on the North American market, said clients are calculating their next steps, though exporters of car parts and other hardware have not yet called off shipments to the U.S. and Canada.

Even exporters who don’t produce in China are suffering due to the trade war. Danny Elassir, export director for Exotica, a company that makes air fresheners in Ohio, said his business is being affected due to other countries imposing tariffs on U.S. goods.

"Wine consumption in the Chinese market is declining, but the Georgian wine share in the total consumption is increasing" — Georgia has exported 1.12 million liters of wine to China this year

23.05.2025 • 12:28

ირინა სტანონოვა

China is one of the most important strategic markets for Georgian wine and is among the top five exporting countries. Since 2013, a marketing campaign has been conducted on the Chinese market to increase awareness and export of our alcoholic beverage. According to the National Wine Agency, 1.12 million liters of Georgian wine were exported from Georgia to China in January-April this year that is 78% more than in the same period of last year.

What makes the Chinese market attractive to Georgian wine producers and what are our prospects for gaining a foothold here? Commersant discussed this with CEO at Askaneli Brothers.

“We can definitely get a foothold Georgian companies have been operating for many years and occupying their niche. They are creating a sales structure with local Chinese sales agents and are working on stable relationships with networks. We sell several million bottles. China has always been among our top five export markets. Over the past few years, sales have not fallen below 3-4 million bottles. We even reached 5-6 million. “The Chinese market is shrinking, the market is experiencing difficulties but this year growth is recorded, and I hope that the country will again increase sales of Georgian wine on the Chinese market,” says Irakli Uglava.

Director at Askaneli Brothers notes that wine consumption in the Chinese market is declining. This trend has been observed since 2019. Irakli Uglava notes that wine consumption in China has declined by about 37%, although the share of Georgian wine in the market is growing.


"Wine consumption in the Chinese market is declining." The overall decline in the Chinese market is around 37%. It seems that the population is switching to other types of drinks. I can't say what influences this, but the Georgian wine share in the total consumption is rising.

I consider the Chinese market to be very promising for both Georgian companies, including our one," says Irakli Uglava.

The company’s imports to the Chinese market soared 5 times in the first 4 months of this year compared with the same period of last year. In the Chinese market, red and semi-sweet wines are most in-demand.

"In the first 4 months, the country's economy grew by 78%. We are not a major player, although we see some growth in the Chinese market. ''- says Irakli Ugvala.

In the words of CEO at Askaneli Brothers, all categories of consumers are present in the Chinese market, including consumers of inexpensive products, as well as medium and high quality wines. Irakli Uglava claims that Georgian companies have different types of clients in the market.

Russia Rejects Trump’s Idea to Hold Ukraine Peace Talks in the Vatican

23.05.2025 • 10:45

commersant/ კომერსანტი

Donald Trump’s proposal to use the Vatican as a neutral venue for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine has met with a cold response from the Kremlin. Despite the U.S. president’s announcement that the newly elected Pope Leo XIV expressed interest in the idea, Moscow is in no hurry to accept the invitation.

According to Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the matter, Russian officials currently have no plans for President Vladimir Putin to visit the Vatican or any other country for negotiations. Instead, the Kremlin is focused on technical-level discussions that began recently in Istanbul and are expected to continue there.

There are no agreements to hold negotiations in the Vatican,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Thursday. Nevertheless, European diplomats say conversations are ongoing about a possible role for the Vatican as host or mediator in future peace talks. According to insiders, a new round could happen as early as next week — if Russia agrees to participate.

U.S. officials, for their part, are closely coordinating with Ukraine to ensure the talks proceed. They are also signaling to Moscow that they would prefer to avoid the participation of hardliners like Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky, who led the Russian delegation during the previous Istanbul talks.

Average monthly income per household soared to GEL 1 896

23.05.2025 • 8:30

commersant/ კომერსანტი

 In 2024, the average monthly income (cash and non-cash inflows) per household in Georgia increased by 10.1 percent compared to the previous year, reaching 1 896 GEL. The average monthly income per capita increased by 13.2 percent, amounting to 590 GEL.

According to the survey results, the main source of household income is cash incomes and transfers. In 2024, this share increased by 2.7 percentage points compared to the previous year, amounting to 90.4 percent. The figure was 94.9 percent in urban areas and 81.7 percent in rural areas.

The average monthly income per household in urban areas increased by 12.6 percent, amounting to 1 978 GEL, while in rural areas it increased by 5.5 percent, equaling 1 755 GEL. In the structure of cash incomes and transfers, the largest share is held by incomes received from wages, which decreased by 0.3 percentage points compared to the previous year, reaching 47.6 percent. The share of self-employment income increased by 0.9 percentage points, amounting to 12.7 percent. The share of income from pensions, scholarships, and social assistance increased by 0.4 percentage points, reaching 22.3 percent. The structure of cash incomes and transfers differs between urban and rural settlements.

In 2024, the average monthly expenditures per household in Georgia increased by 5.2 percent compared to the previous year, reaching 1 736 GEL, while the average monthly expenditures per capita increased by 8.2 percent, amounting to 540 GEL.

According to the survey results, in 2024, the share of household cash consumption expenditure in total expenditures decreased by 0.4 percentage points compared to the previous year, amounting to 69.9 percent.

The average monthly expenditures per household in urban areas increased by 6.3 percent, amounting to 1 813 GEL, while in rural areas it increased by 3.4 percent, equaling 1 603 GEL.

In the structure of cash consumption expenditure, the largest share is held by expenditures on food, beverages and tobacco, which decreased by 0.5 percentage points compared to the previous year, reaching 38.1 percent. The structure of cash consumption expenditure differs between urban and rural settlements.

One dollar traded at 2.7361 GEL on Bloomberg as of 11am

23.05.2025 • 8:10

ირინა სტანონოვა

USD/GEL is traded at 2.7361 on Bloomberg by 11am.

Trading on the platform started at 2.7360.

According to the exchange rate set by the National Bank for May 22, the official exchange rate of the national currency  was set at 1USD/ 2.7383 GEL; 1EUR/3.0924 GEL.

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