ExplainerWhich Chinese regions are being hit hardest by US tariffs?
Some Chinese provinces have recorded sharp drops in US exports amid the trade war. Others have seen shipments soar as much as 265%
But US tariffs are not affecting China equally. The country is made up of more than 30 provincial-level regions, and there is a wide divergence between these areas both in terms of their exposure to the US market and the effect of the trade war.
This explainer provides a regional-level overview of China’s response to US tariffs – showing which regions are most vulnerable and how local governments and companies are adapting. It is based on calculations and research by economists at CIB Research, a research institute affiliated with the Fujian-based Industrial Bank.
Which regions have the highest exposure to the US market?
China’s export hubs on the country’s eastern coastline dominate trade with the United States. Six coastal regions – Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Shandong and Fujian – together accounted for nearly 80 per cent of China’s exports to the US in value terms during the first seven months of 2025, according to CIB Research.
Following them are a group of landlocked provinces in central and western China: Sichuan, Anhui, Hubei, Henan and Chongqing combined accounted for about 10.8 per cent of the country’s US-bound shipments.
But the sheer volume of exports only tells part of the story. It is a different picture when looking at each region’s exposure to the US market in terms of local exporters’ dependence on US-bound shipments.