02:00 PM EDT, 05/09/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Shippers are ramping up cargo bookings on vessels leaving Asia as US and Chinese officials prepare to kick off trade talks over the weekend.

A total of 103,105 twenty-foot equivalent units, a standardized measure of cargo capacity, will likely reach the Port of Los Angeles in the May 18 to May 24 week, according to data from ship tracking system Port Optimizer. That volume reflects 19% growth on a weekly basis and 56% annually.

Some 19 freight vessels are scheduled to arrive at the Southern California port in the May 18 to May 24 week, Port Optimizer data showed. That's up from 16 vessels the port was expected to receive in the current week, but down from 21 due to arrive in the May 11 to May 17 period.

The Port of Los Angeles is a major gateway for both Chinese and other Asian freight. The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach handled approximately 31% of all containerized international waterborne trade in the US in 2024, according to data published on the LA port's website.

President Donald Trump sounded optimistic about US-China talks in Switzerland over the weekend. "We're gonna have a good weekend with China," Trump said Thursday, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Trump on Friday floated the idea of lowering tariffs on China to 80% from 145%.

After announcing reciprocal tariffs early last month, Trump paused certain levies for non-retaliating countries. Washington and Beijing have since been in a deadlock over tariffs.

On Thursday, Trump announced a trade deal with the UK and said pacts with other countries would follow.

The US trade deficit reached a record level of $140.5 billion in March as imports surged to an all-time high, official data released on Tuesday showed.