US tariffs do not yet appear to have dented the enormous flow of goods moving daily from China to the United States. The analysis, published by Bloomberg on 22 October 2025, shows that six months after the start of the new trade war launched by the Trump administration, the resilience of Chinese exports highlights how indispensable the country’s products remain for the US market. Around one billion dollars in goods now cross the Pacific each day bound for the United States, a flow that even rose slightly in September compared with August, despite a double-digit decline in total bilateral trade value over the past six months.
The article explains that China’s manufacturing capacity and its integration into global supply chains give Beijing leverage over American importers. Bloomberg cites economists Chang Shu and David Qu, who note that the United States currently lacks immediate alternatives capable of replacing China’s supply of key components, from semiconductors to rare metals. The process of industrial relocation will take time, while trade flows continue to underpin China’s domestic growth.
In the third quarter, China shipped more than 100 billion dollars’ worth of goods to the United States, helping to keep growth targets on track and pushing the bilateral trade surplus to 67 billion dollars. Total exports to the US since the beginning of the year are estimated at 317 billion dollars, down 17% from 2024 but still above levels recorded before the first tariff war in 2018.
Some sectors are even showing positive trends. Exports of electric bicycles have remained stable at 1.2 billion dollars, while those of electrical components such as cables and refined copper rose by 87% and up to 270 million dollars respectively during the quarter. Shipments of small parcels from e-commerce also remained significant, with around 5.4 billion dollars in goods sent to US consumers since May, despite the end of the previous customs exemption for shipments valued under 800 dollars (de minimis).
Moreover, some US importers seem to have found ways to mitigate the impact of tariffs. Bloomberg reveals that some American companies are reducing tariff costs through transit operations or customs declarations based on the “first sale price” in third countries such as Mexico or Vietnam, thereby easing the tariff burden. This logistical flexibility, combined with the efficiency of Chinese ports and distribution networks, continues to support long-distance goods flows.
However, imports of certain goods such as televisions, gaming consoles and other electronic devices have declined, indicating that production for some technology products has begun shifting from China to other Asian countries. In this regard, the International Monetary Fund, cited in the analysis, notes that the contraction in bilateral trade in 2025 is faster than in 2018–2019, suggesting that industrial decoupling between the two economies is progressing more rapidly. Nevertheless, as the IMF underlines, mutual dependence between the United States and China remains structural and cannot be eliminated completely in the short term.
