China-US tariff truce offers Hong Kong exporters 90-day window to ship goods
Despite tariff pause, experts have warned traders will still face hurdles in competition for freight services and negotiating shipment costs
Hong Kong and mainland Chinese manufacturers have been urged to seize the opportunity presented by a 90-day pause in the US-China tariff dispute by shipping inventory to the United States.
But traders will face competition for freight services and will need to negotiate the sharing of shipment costs between the two regions, experts have warned.
Billy Mak Sui-choi, an associate professor at the department of accountancy, economics and finance at Baptist University, said on Tuesday that the 90-day tariff suspension window would “definitely be a peak period for exporting goods”.
He added that shipments were “urgent” as the pause meant US importers could still ensure sufficient goods for the Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping season.
“Given that you have a 90-day exemption to maintain relatively low tariffs, [you should] do your best to ship goods. If you start placing orders now, manufacturing, and then exporting, it is actually urgent,” Mak said.
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping could negotiate over tariffs at the end of this week.