Exporters Rush at Yantian Port Ahead of Lunar New Year

BEIJING (Reuters) – In anticipation of the eight-day Lunar New Year holiday and potential U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, exporters scrambled to load and ship cargo from Shenzhen’s Yantian Port, one of the world’s largest container ports.

Yantian, which oversees one-third of Guangdong’s international trade and one-quarter of China’s exports to the United States, increased the daily container quota by 15% to 15,000 units from January 20 to 28, according to a statement on Wednesday.

Truck driver Li Guoliang reported that it took him two hours on Thursday evening to transport a loaded container to a yard at the port—quadrupling his usual travel time. He noted that the congestion was caused by factories rushing shipments before the holiday, coupled with limited container quotas and space at the port.

Reports indicate that some drivers experienced delays exceeding 24 hours in the port area on Thursday.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a discussion regarding a 10% punitive duty on Chinese imports, with a possible decision deadline of February 1, which could diminish U.S. demand for Chinese products. When questioned about the tariffs, China’s commerce ministry expressed a willingness to cooperate with the U.S. to maintain stable economic ties.

Prior to Trump’s inauguration, Chinese factories and U.S. companies had already taken precautions. U.S. businesses stocked up on toys, furniture, and electronics in preparation for potential tariffs, leading to increased Chinese exports in December.

Yantian Port’s container throughput reached a record 17.365 million standard containers in 2024, a nearly 7% annual growth, consistent with a 14.6% increase in Shenzhen’s exports in the previous year, totaling 2.81 trillion yuan.

The worsening congestion at Yantian Port has prompted an increase in trucking fees, negatively impacting exporters’ profits. Fees for transport from Shenzhen’s Fuyong logistics hub to Yantian have surged from 1,000 yuan to over 2,500 yuan (approximately $345). Additionally, due to the congestion, there may be a new drop-off fee of over 1,000 yuan.

Li attributed the congestion to Trump’s tariff threats, questioning why factories would not ship goods after the Lunar New Year if it were unrelated.

($1 = 7.2551 Chinese yuan renminbi)