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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Huizhong Wu and Didi Tang

As tariffs put trade between China and the US in peril, Chinese businesses ponder the future

Trump Tariffs - (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

When the first two rounds of 10% tariffs hit, Zou Guoqing, a Chinese exporter, groaned but didn't find the barriers insurmountable. He gave up some of his profits and offered his client, a snow-bike factory in Nebraska, price cuts ranging from 5% to 10%. It seemed to work: The factory agreed to a new order of molds and parts.

But when President Donald Trump announced an additional 34% universal tariff on Chinese goods on April 2, Zou, who’s been exporting to the U.S. for more than a decade, was incredulous.

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