The commercial war that faces the two largest powers in the world has ceased to be a matter of diplomacy and abstract figures. Today, the conflict translates into empty factories, destination products and emblem companies such as Shein and Temu facing their most critical moment. Production stops, the future is uncertain, and thousands of Chinese workers must pay the price.
arrested factories and a gloomy panorama for the Chinese industry
The tariff offensive driven by Donald Trump has begun to show its most drastic effects. With tariffs of up to 145% on Chinese products, exports to the United States, which represent 15% of China’s total external sales, have fallen abruptly. The result: factories in cities such as Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Dongguan have stopped their production, trimmed shifts and sent their workers to their homes.
Images spread in networks like Douyin reveal the magnitude of the break. Key companies are suspending operations per weeks, eliminating extra hours and offering minimum wages to avoid mass layoffs. Some, such as Dehong Electrical Products, have already granted permits without activity. Others, such as Hangzhou Stellarmed, encourage their employees to seek employment in other sectors.
Shein and Temu, trapped in the tariff storm
Shein and Temu, symbols of Chinese electronic commerce in the world, have seen how their fast and cheap production model staggers. With its main market, the United States, reducing orders, supply chains are broken. The profitability of these platforms, which depends on local factories, is rapidly eroded.
Political pressure aggravates the situation. China has responded with 125% surcharge on US imports, but already considers alleviating these measures in some sectors. Even so, uncertainty predominates. The continuity of these companies is closely linked to the evolution of the commercial war.
Wang Xin, director of the Shenzhen’s cross -border electronic commerce association, summarizes it: “We are very anxious. Many companies have stopped deliveries and production. There is no other way out for now.”
An uncertain future: Reconciliation or total decoupling?
While the global economy observes, the possibility of a truce remains a mystery. Trump has stated to be willing to dialogue, but there are no specific movements. Trade between the two countries remains gigantic, and despite tariffs, only part of the commercial flow has been affected.
Experts wonder if we are facing a simple pause or at the beginning of an economic decoupling between the two powers. The destiny of platforms such as Shein, Temu and hundreds of Chinese factories hangs from a thread, in a scenario in which politics and economy are irreversibly intertwined.
For now, the lights in the production plants remain off, while millions await a signal that indicates whether this war will have truce … or a deeper outcome.
[Fuente: El Cronista]
