American orders from Chinese small companies in detention

“Trump is a crazy man,” says Lionel Sue, who is surrounded by his company repulsive mosquito kits – many were once the most sold in Walmart stores in the United States.

Now these products sit in boxes in a warehouse in China and will remain there unless President Donald Trump raises his 145% tariffs for all Chinese goods tied to the United States.

“It's so hard for us,” he adds.

About half of all the products made by his company Sorbo Technology are sold to the United States.

It is a small company by Chinese standards and has about 400 workers in the province of Jedjiang. But they are not alone in feeling the pain of this economic war.

“We're worried. What if Trump doesn't change your mind? It's going to be a dangerous thing for our factory,” says G -N Sue.

Nearby, Amy helps sell ice cream manufacturers at his stand for Guangdong sailing company. Its key buyers, including Walmart, are also in the US.

“We have already stopped production,” she says. “All products are in the warehouse.”

It was the same story of almost every stand of the scattered Canton Fair at the Guangzhou shopping center.

When the BBC talks to G -n XU, he is preparing to take some Australian buyers at lunch. They came to look for a deal and hope to reduce the price.

“We'll see,” he says of the tariffs. He believes Trump will retreat.

“Maybe it will be better after one or two months. Maybe, maybe,” adds dn with crossed fingers.

Last week, President Trump temporarily stopped the vast majority of tariffs after global stock markets also collapsed on the bond market in the United States.

But he kept the imports of imports aimed at Chinese goods sent to the United States. Beijing replied, imposing his own 125% taxi on US imports.

This is confused traders from more than 30,000 businesses that came to the Annual Fair to show their goods in several exhibition halls measuring 200 football terrains.

In the home vessels section, companies show everything from washing machines, electric toothbrushes to juicer and waffle manufacturers. Buyers come from all over the world to see the products for themselves and make a deal.

But the price of a food mixer or a vacuum cleaner from China with the added tariffs is already too high for most US companies to cross the price of their customers.

The two largest economies in the world have affected impasse, and Chinese goods intended for US households are accumulating on factory floors.

The effects of this trade war will probably be felt in kitchens and living rooms throughout America, which will now have to buy these goods at higher prices.

China maintains its challenging position and vowed to fight this trade war “to the end.”

This is the tone used by some at the fair. Hy Vian, who wanted to buy some electric ovens for his company, removed the effects of tariffs.

“If they do not want to export – then let them wait. We already have an internal market in China, we will give the best products to the Chinese first.”

China has a large population of 1.4 billion people and in theory it is a strong domestic market.

Chinese politicians are also trying to stimulate more growth in a slow economy, encouraging consumers to spend.

But it doesn't work. Many of the country's middle classes have invested their savings in buying a family home, just to monitor their home prices to drop in the last four years. Now they want to save money – they don't spend it.

While China may be better to withstand the storm from other countries, the reality is that it is still an export-run economy. Last year, exports were about half of the country's economic growth.

China also remains the Goldman Sachs World Factory that about 10 to 20 million people in China can only work on exports associated with the United States.

Some of his workers already feel the pain.

Not far from the Canton Fair, there are wars of workshops in Guangdong that make clothes, shoes and bags. This is the manufacturing center for companies like Shein and Temu.

Each building houses several factories on several floors, where workers will work 14 hours a day.

On the sidewalk near some shoe factories, several workers were squatting and smoking.

“Things don't go well,” says one who did not want to give his name. His friend urges him to stop talking. Discussing economic difficulties may be sensitive in China.

“We had problems after the Covid pandemic, and now there is this trade war. I was paid 300-400 yuan ($ 40-54) a day before, and now I will be lucky if I get 100 yuan a day.”

The worker says it is difficult to find a job these days. Others who make shoes on the street also told us that they had won enough to live a major life.

While some in China are proud of their product, others feel the pain of increasing tariffs and wondering how this crisis will end.

China is facing the prospect of losing a trading partner who buys more than $ 400 billion (£ 302 billion) goods every year, but the pain will be felt on the other side, with economists warning that the United States can target a recession.

Adding to uncertainty is President Trump, who is known for his Brinish craftsmanship. He continued to push Beijing and China refused to retreat.

However, he said he would no longer add to the current 125% tariff rate of American goods. They could take revenge in other ways – but this offers the two sides for breathing from a week that caused an economic war.

It is reported that there is little contact between Washington and Beijing, and none of the countries seem to be ready to focus on the negotiating table soon.

Meanwhile, some companies at the Canton Fair use the event to try to find new markets.

Amy hopes that ice cream producers will head in a new direction.

“We hope to open the new European market. Maybe Saudi Arabia – and of course Russia,” she adds.

Others believe there is still money in China. Among them is the 40 -year -old May Kunyan, who says he wins about 10,000 yuan per month at his shoe company sold to Chinese customers. Many large shoe manufacturers have moved to Vietnam, where labor costs are more expensive.

G -N -May has also realized something that the business around him finds, “America is too complicated.”