LOS ANGELES, May 14 (Reuters) - U.S. bookings for
container transport from China to the United States spiked
almost 300% in the wake of the United States and China pausing
punishing tit-for-tat tariffs, container-tracking software
provider Vizion said on Wednesday.
The average bookings for the seven days ended Wednesday
soared 277% to 21,530 20-foot equivalent units from 5,709 TEUs
for the average for the seven days that ended on May 5, said Ben
Tracy, the company's vice president of strategic business
development said.
U.S. importers slammed the brakes on shipments after April
2, when Trump announced plans to slap 145% tariffs on goods made
in China.
That trade restarted after the United States and China on
Monday announced a 90-day thaw in their bruising trade war.
The United States said it would reduce tariffs it imposed on
Chinese imports in April to 30% from 145%, while China reduced
duties on U.S. imports to 10% from 125%.
"We are definitely starting to see the bookings return now
that this temporary pause is in effect," Tracy said.
German container shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd ( HLAGF ) earlier
on Wednesday said its bookings were up 50% for U.S.-China
traffic week on week in the first few days of this week.
When asked about Washington and Beijing's tariff truce, CEO
Rolf Habben Jansen told Reuters: "I expect that there will be
additional volume between China and the U.S. That is what we
have already seen in the last few days."