Greater pressure on shipping is expected following China’s immediate response to the tariff war declared by US President Donald Trump, with analysts pointing out that the consequences of the current situation and possible new countermeasures may trigger on the global economy have not been fully mapped.
However, the effects of “Armageddon”, if the negotiations taking place “behind the curtain” do not succeed, are expected to be seen at the end of the year.
It is worth noting that following Trump’s announcements, China’s Ministry of Finance announced that it will impose additional 34% tariffs on all US products as a countermeasure to the US president’s sweeping tariffs, a development that intensifies fears of a recession. According to the Chinese Ministry of Finance, the new tariffs will come into effect from April 10.
As shipping brokerage executives emphasized to “N”, routes in the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic regions are among those most affected by US tariffs, as they are “key” to the global trade chain.
“Container management companies are already talking about worse-than-expected protectionist measures from the US,” the same executives reported, adding that containerships are expected to have lower demand in trade to the west and east coasts of the United States. At the same time, the countermeasures announced by Beijing are set to contribute to further reducing demand for the transport of goods between the world’s two largest economies.
As noted, the real impact on the shipping industry is estimated to become visible during the third and fourth quarters of 2025, while at an immediate level there does not appear to be a significant reduction in demand.
