This week brought a rare moment of relief in an otherwise volatile trade climate: the United States and China have agreed to a 90-day tariff reduction, marking a temporary pause in one of the most disruptive trade conflicts in recent memory.
As of this agreement, U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods will drop from 145% to 30%, and China’s tariffs on U.S. imports will decrease from 125% to 10%. The markets responded quickly—Wall Street surged, optimism spiked, and early signs point to a short-term uptick in transpacific freight demand, especially in e-commerce and consumer sectors.
But let’s be clear: this is not a return to normal.
The 30% rate, while lower, still reflects previous layers of Section 301 and IEEPA tariffs. No mention has been made of restoring the de minimis exemption or clarifying how these adjustments affect documentation and enforcement. This is a reprieve, not a resolution for importers and exporters alike.
At Everglory Logistics, we advise clients to treat this 90-day tariff reduction window as a planning opportunity, not a green light to resume business as usual. Carriers have already blanked sailings in anticipation of reduced volume, and factories across China have deferred production schedules. The result? A backlog that may land hard later this summer. You may be behind the curve if you haven’t begun preparing for that surge.
The larger truth is that unpredictable tariff policy continues to create operational and financial risks that can’t be solved at the port or the warehouse. Businesses need clarity to plan landed costs, lock in rates, and schedule shipments. Until trade policy stabilizes, this uncertainty will remain in our working environment.
Our advice to shippers remains steady: plan conservatively, build flexibility into your schedules, and talk to your elected representatives about how these issues impact your business, family, and community.
If your team needs help interpreting this change or planning around the next one, Everglory Logistics is ready to help. Let’s work together to make smart moves in an unstable market.
