China’s Canton Fair traders say US buyers step back as tariff spectre haunts

At China’s oldest and largest trade fair, being held against the backdrop of global supply-chain turmoil, the spectre of tariffs haunts the convention floor.

From cutting-edge technology to consumer goods, the impact of the escalating trade war between the world’s top economic powers can be heard and felt.

But the offerings on the display at the multitude of booths – showing off hi-tech electric vehicles and service robots on the opening day of the spring edition of the China Import and Export Fair – are seen to be providing a much-needed boost to sentiment surrounding “Made in China”.

“Our distributors in the US now fall into two camps: those holding back and placing no orders, and those who have placed orders but told us not to ship,” said a sales manager from an electronics company that was seeing 40 per cent of its sales come from the US market before the current upheaval.

With a booth at the event, commonly known as the Canton Fair, she said suppliers like her company are all waiting to see how the two countries move forward with negotiations, and how tariffs will ultimately affect different product categories.

“Only then can we figure out whether there’s still a chance, or how we might split the tariff burden with our customers,” she added.