China

China still holds the title of the world’s manufacturing floor, but business challenges are leading more companies to source production in other countries.

Alibaba is challenging Amazon on many fronts, including logistics. It’s now handling import/export operations in South Korea.

The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America’s general counsel Ed Greenberg looks forward to spending time with his grandson.

At airlines, cargo is typically the junior partner to passenger service. During COVID, the roles are reversed and United Airlines is using its cargo network to support more passenger service.

“China and tariffs: Why COVID has actually increased cargo yields” was the topic of a virtual fireside chat at the American Shipper Global Trade Tech Summit.

New ocean container floor design developed and tested by the Institute of International Container Lessors over the past 10 years reduces wood use by up to 45%.

Shacman’s new plant will be the 12th truck/truck engine manufacturing facility in Mexico, joining Freightliner, Kenworth, Navistar, Hino, International, DINA, Mercedes Benz, Isuzu, Scania, and VW/MAN.

Airfreight exports from China slowed a bit in mid-August, allowing shippers to take back a tiny bit of pricing before rates shoot up for the next few months in as retailers build inventory for the holidays.

ATRAN Airlines says increased online shopping has increased express air cargo traffic between Moscow and China’s northern cities.

With trade relations between the U.S. and China strained, the future of global supply chains could be Mexico.

With airfreight capacity squeezed and rates high between China and the U.S., ocean freight consolidators offer the option of fast, cheaper less-than-container load, trans-Pacific services.

Engine maker Cummins soundly beat estimates for earnings and sales in the second quarter because its plants in China worked overtime as the country rebounded from the coronavirus pandemic.

Russian airline Volga-Dnepr, whose planes are commonly associated with transporting heavy equipment, spent the past three months ferrying tons of medical supplies from China to France to combat COVID-19.

United Airlines and Delta are dipping their toes back into the China market. But with COVID-19 and political tensions rising it won’t be a surprise if they are stopped again.

Face shields, gloves and hand sanitizer were yesterday’s hot airfreight product. Now the cool shipments that people need right away are yoga pants, bikes and hot tubs.

The U.S. Department of Transportation says it won’t entertain requests from Chinese airlines to operate more flights beyond the current cap.

The U.S. is loosening restrictions on flights by Chinese airlines after China partially reopened its aviation market to U.S. carriers.

Air cargo and cross-border trade could be unintended victims of the dispute between the U.S. and China over access by their respective passenger airlines.

Escalating airfreight transportation rates and capacity shortages from China due to the global pandemic have encouraged some shippers to split supply chain shipments between ocean and air pallets.

vHub, which connects owners of underutilized trailers with those looking for short-term trailer usage, has opened its platform to integration with most telematics systems. Also, China trade deal in doubt, retail imports fall and road funding drops.

Continental is shutting down its Roadlog ELD service, as of Aug. 14. Plus, FreightWAVES LIVE@HOME is one day away, Trump pushes severing of supply chain from China, and Walmart launches two-hour delivery.

Uncertainty beyond loss-making second quarter concerns Daimler leaders, though robust supply chain and cash position suggest fast production ramp-up when economy recovers

In this commentary by Brian Aoaeh makes the case that efforts by grassroots organizations in the fight against COVID-19 should be more fully accepted.

The maritime shipping companies have been able to increase their rates amidst the COVID-19 induced shut down. Is this a sign of things to come for domestic carriers?

Most airlines using passenger planes for cargo-only operations are doing so on a charter basis. Qatar Airways will operate scheduled rotations to and from China.

Crew members evacuated from container ship, tested for coronavirus and hospitalized in China.

Workers at an Amazon warehouse are protesting conditions while Instacart workers are walking off the job amid coronavirus concerns. Plus, truck drivers are scared, but still delivering and Americans learn the value of the supply chain.

The February downturn in air cargo volumes presages even worse performance in the coming months, according to analysts.

Executive Director Gene Seroka said the coronavirus has not impacted landside operations.

FreightWaves and Descartes are partnering for an hour-long webinar to provide clear metrics on the impact of COVID-19 on trade flows, as well as steps that you can take now to minimize supply chain disruption.

Deutsche Post World has lowered its guidance for the year and cited Amazon’s continuing insourcing of logistics as a major reason. Plus, Goldman Sachs is predicting a 5% contraction in the economy, labor shortages could hamper restocking of shelves, and the Fed slashes interest rates.

Import volumes are showing the first signs of recovery since the initial decline in early February.

“As an industry representing brands and retailers, we do not tolerate forced labor in our supply chains,” said five large U.S. apparel and footwear associations.

Preparedness is essential when it comes to the coronavirus or other supply chain disruptions, experts say

The fake Oral-B toothbrush heads, which arrived at Philadelphia airport from Turkey, were likely made in “unsanitary facilities with substandard materials,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said.

Chart of the Week:  Outbound Tender Volume Index – USA  SONAR: OTVI.USA  People have been clearing store shelves in parts of the country as if they were preparing for a […]

CEO of Canadian logistics software provider says China’s surprise recovery may signal a better prognosis for supply chains around the world.

It’s difficult to predict how travel and trade patterns will impact the global economy for the full year, but companies involved in trade and travel are feeling the pinch already. The crisis is creating risks and opportunities for airlines, especially for companies that fly dedicated freighters.

The Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation ordered the revocation of export licenses linked to violators of the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at International Falls, Minnesota, discovered the illegal product in two 40-foot containers from China.

Headwinds from one-time expenses, geopolitical tensions in Asia and the grounding of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft kept Air Canada from growing profits in line with stock market expectations.

Looking like a scene from the Fox drama “24” where Kiefer Sutherland deals with biological weapons, technicians in hazmat suits spray down Volga-Dnepr cargo planes with disinfectant and take other precautions against the coronavirus.

The Artic Ocean may be the next area that sees the superpower nations “rubbing up” on each other in search of faster ocean passage and a new source of natural resources.

EXPD earnings fell 23% year-over-year; management cited the business cycle and warned about Q1 coronavirus impacts.

The coronavirus has created a weird market dynamic for airfreight in China. There is very little demand for scheduled flights to move manufactured goods, but charter flights are in high demand to get medical and relief supplies to China. And airfreight rates are poised to jump once Chinese factories fire back up.

DHL has issued layoff notices for 134 workers in Detroit as it seeks to renegotiate a contract with a supplier. Also, Amazon ditches delivery providers, rail and intermodal volumes drops.

Lawmakers want the Defense Department to explain within 60 days why it rejected a Commerce Department proposal to tighten the U.S. content threshold for exports to the Chinese telecom.

Importers and exporters can expect shipping delays and skyrocketing transportation budgets associated with the logistics challenges in China associated with the coronavirus in China. But there are steps companies can take to minimize the damage to customers and their bottom lines.

Daseke has found a permanent replacement for its retired founder and namesake Don Daseke, naming interim CEO Chris Easter to the position. Plus, Valentine’s Day logistics, truckers in Oregon get political and Chinese truck capacity shrinks.

With smartphones and other mobile devices vital to how companies conduct business, corporate compliance officers strive to prevent unlawful exports of controlled data.

Pilots hold many of the cards when it comes to cargo capacity in China. If they decline flight assignments to avoid catching the coronavirus, lots of merchandise and supplies won’t get delivered on time.

Lori Ann LaRocco writes about the impact of coronavirus on maritime trade between China and the U.S.

Airlines continue to react to the spread of the coronavirus by cutting more flights.

The coronavirus could present a silver lining for freighter operators, but any boost in business may be weeks or months away, depending on how long the contagion lasts.

Engine maker Cummins already was predicting a difficult 2020 before the outbreak of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China, where Cummins’ manufacturing operations are shuttered.

World’s second largest oil consumer taking extended holiday to deal with virus, keeping businesses shuttered.

It’s difficult to keep up with the flight suspensions being announced by airlines to China amid fear about the coronavirus outbreak.

Chinese carrier’s formerly idled VLCCs return to a transport market already suffering from falling rates, Stifel Maritime analyst said.

The World Health Organization’s leadership went out of its way to praise China for its handling of the deadly outbreak.

UPS partners with Waymo for delivery; Coronavirus could decline Chinese production; research breakout in fuel cell technology

Delta, Air Canada and Lufthansa are among the international airlines reducing or suspending flights to China as the coronavirus spreads.

U.S. Justice Department announced the arrest of Harvard University’s chemistry department chair on charges of lying about financial and research connections to the Chinese government.

Quarantines and factory shutdowns could deepen and extend the traditional Chinese New Year trough.

Commissioner Carl Bentzel said the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission will have an increasing role in the development of shoreside activities that impact international container shipping.

A bipartisan group of U.S. House and Senate lawmakers see export controls as a means to punish those Chinese officials and companies involved in human rights abuses in western China and Hong Kong.

U.S. enforcement agencies are turning up the heat on Chinese nationals who illicitly obtain and attempt to smuggle American-made technologies back to China.

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security will expand export licensing requirements for technologies intended for military applications.

The Chinese government said the tariff reductions will help expand imports of key consumer products.

CFI employees have raised more than $800,000 for charities over the past 26 years as part of its Truckloads of Treasures campaign. Plus, airfreight may not grow next year, trailer orders drop and Connecticut delays toll discussion.

Contributor Ben Thrower writes about the growing ties between the Chinese and European economies and the potential danger of those ties.

Shipments of counterfeit driver’s licenses and blank card stock were discovered and seized by Customs and Border Protection officers at Louisville and Memphis mail facilities.

While most license applications related to the Chinese telecom are expected to be denied, news reports surface that some U.S. companies have started receiving approvals from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

U.S. poultry producers eye more than $1 billion market potential for China after being shut out for five years.

Uncertainty clouds future of Chinese hydrogen subsidies and impact on the Canadian fuel cell manufacturer.

Truck parking is not only a safety issue, but also an issue of driver rest. Reliance Partners, along with TruckPark, is exploring how truck parking reservation systems could help drivers get better rest and improve roadway safety.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Appetite for avocados is fueling violence in Mexico; Hyundai picks Claudia […]

Broadford Global has made a mandatory unconditional offer for all the H shares in the dual-listed Dalian Port Co. (HKEX: 2880 and SSE: 601880) of Liaoning Province, China.

Tie-up offers more options between Europe and China

Register today to hear how you can work to optimize warehouse space and maximize efficiency to keep freight moving and keep your customers happy.

The Hong Kong Human Right Rights and Democracy Act, which unanimously passed the House of Representatives on Oct. 15, puts pressure on Hong Kong to uphold U.S. export controls.

The Commerce Department said the Chinese government and commercial entities added to the export control list participated in human rights violations against China’s Muslim ethnic minorities.

The primary cause of the deteriorating outlook for the next 12 to 18 months is trade policy.

Yantai Port in northern China and the Brazilian miner Vale have signed a so-called strategic cooperation framework to promote the sale of Vale’s iron ore. It is the second such deal for Vale in recent months.

The announcement comes after Beijing announced its first round of tariff exemptions for U.S. goods earlier in the day.

Pilot eLCV projects are planned in the U.S. next year with local production a long-term aim.

USPS’ impending exit from Universal Postal Union could send international air parcel rates soaring

New official figures from China’s Ministry of Transport show that the volume of containerized ocean freight, as measured in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) through China’s 49 main box-ports in the year continue to rise despite the Washington-Beijing trade tensions. But it seems that Vietnam might be benefiting from the turbulence, according to data found in FreightWaves’ SONAR database.

As part of an Austerity Law passed by the Mexican legislature in May, commerce officials in Mexico recently ordered the closure of six foreign commercial trade offices, including customs offices […]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Los Angeles and Long Beach seaport complex halted the illegal import of Chinese-made firearm parts valued at $378,225.

Competition from other grain-producing countries weigh on U.S. grain exports – and on U.S. rail volumes for grain.

As protests continue at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), the disruption has not caused major delays in air cargo shipments or dramatic increases in rates, experts told FreightWaves. Protests at […]

Continued cancellations could have a marked impact on air cargo.

The Chinese government forced Cathay Pacific to sideline some of its staff. That could mean tighter rates for other airlines.

Trucks are omitted from a study analyzing congestion pricing options; YRC scraps satellite radio in cabs; FedEx drops Amazon in dollars-and-sense decision

Chinese port throughput volumes (all cargoes) for the first half of 2019 are up 7.3 percent compared to the first half of last year, according to the latest official Chinese data. First half 2019 foreign cargo volumes through China rose 2.5 percent compared to the prior corresponding period. And box throughput rose 5.1 percent. Read on to find out more!

The U.S. will engage with the IMF to eliminate the cited unfair advantage created by the alleged devaluation of China’s currency.

Drewry says it expects a brief spike in transpacific freight rates to the U.S. West Coast following President Trumps threat to impose a new round of tariffs on imports from China.