Port of Oakland braces for tariff impacts on key trading partners

The Port of Oakland a vital bridge between the U S and its largest trading partners especially China faces a rapidly changing landscape of tariffs and stiff winds from an unpredictable Trump administration On Thursday at a meeting at the port s headquarters port representatives business owners a representative of the longshoremen s union and Rep Lateefah Simon aired concerns about how they could weather the administration s erratic moves implementing tariffs cutting tariffs delaying tariffs raising tariffs Simon a civil rights advocate who has represented California s th congressional district since January offered a blistering rebuke of President Donald Trump s bargain policies on key allies saying he has created a no-win situation for the U S and global commercial sector which threatens to have devastating effects on the region s job field housing growth and vitality care services Already shipments of equipment to UCSF Benioff Children s Hospital in Oakland have been delayed according to Adam Masters a business representative from SMART SMW Local Union No There s a real potentiality of workers losing their jobs but we cannot have a poorer sicker California Simon declared comparing her district s largest city to a client in a hospital If there were no tariffs Oakland would be in the crisis room Hospice is terminal but we re in ICU We have to convince businesses to stay here The Port of Oakland handles of all shipments into Northern California The most of significant of these trading partners is China which represents of all imports and of all exports at the port China currently faces a tariff on U S imports as a deal war between the world s two largest economies has escalated over the past two months Trump asserted this past week that the two countries were in progressing negotiations to create a new contract deal Chinese representatives however have repudiated the president s indicates about negotiations and called for an end to unilateral tariffs The port s two largest receivers of goods Japan and South Korea were among the first countries to enter discussions with Trump to lower tariffs Japan is responsible for of all exports from the Port of Oakland while South Korea adds an additional of exports Japan faces a tariff on its goods while South Korea faces a tariff Prior to Thursday s meeting the Port of Oakland stated a year-over-year increase in container volume representing a total of imports and exports buoyed in the first quarter of as businesses rushed to push through goods before further tariffs were enacted The port published a rise in shipping volume in March compared to the same time period last year But the increased bargain is expected to be short-lived as port officers estimate a contraction in pact volume for the rest of the year Port of Oakland Executive Director Kristi McKenney revealed that without clear answers about the desired outcomes of Trump s economic policies a multitude of are left in limbo about the best move forward What we don t want is chaos We want clarity around where we re going McKenney disclosed It s terribly critical that as we move forward we have an understanding so that these tariffs don t have all those negative impacts and can be used for an ultimate common good outcome In latest months the whipsaw of tariffs has challenged Bay Area business owners who rely on stable costs and international arrangement Stephanie Tran president of Oakland s Chinatown Chamber of Commerce who also runs her own small business Town Print Shop disclosed tariffs are a looming threat to multiple companies still recovering from the pandemic Our small mom-and-pop businesses are going to be forced to either absorb those costs increase prices or even pull goods off the shelf Tran announced It s really really vital at this time for the population to continue to help small businesses because small businesses are the heart of our region Port of Oakland Maritime Director Bryan Brandes explained he was encouraged about the rise in cargo volume in the first quarter of but stated the port would continue to monitor international arrangement relations while it focuses on its facilities and region partners We re mindful of evolving pact initiative discussions and prospective tariff actions that will affect the broader territory Brandes revealed in a report We remain committed to providing reliable provision maintaining strong infrastructure and working closely with our partners to tackle whatever lies ahead