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 leaders 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 agreement policies on key allies saying he has created a no-win situation for the U S and global business activity which threatens to have devastating effects on the region s job region housing growth and soundness 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 reported comparing her district s largest city to a subject in a hospital If there were no tariffs Oakland would be in the exigency 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 the greater part pivotal of these trading partners is China which represents of all imports and of all exports at the port China at the moment faces a tariff on U S imports as a exchange 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 advancing negotiations to create a new deal deal Chinese functionaries 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 announced a rise in shipping volume in March compared to the same time period last year But the increased commerce is expected to be short-lived as port executives estimate a contraction in business volume for the rest of the year Port of Oakland Executive Director Kristi McKenney explained that without clear answers about the desired outcomes of Trump s economic policies various 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 explained 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 up-to-date 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 mentioned 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 revealed It s really really essential at this time for the neighborhood to continue to patronage small businesses because small businesses are the heart of our population Port of Oakland Maritime Director Bryan Brandes declared 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 exchange protocol discussions and possible tariff actions that will affect the broader realm Brandes explained in a report We remain committed to providing reliable arrangement maintaining strong infrastructure and working closely with our partners to address whatever lies ahead