The US Trade Representative (USTR) proposed last week a 100% tariff on Chinese ship-to-shore cranes, containers, and other parts, Bloomberg reported last week. However, US industry players are warning against the move, with Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka telling Bloomberg that localizing the industry in the US could take at least 10 years since the country currently has no domestic crane manufacturers. There is a dearth of alternatives to China-made cranes, the replacement of which would need investment in aluminum and steel, whose prices are set to rise after recently imposed 25% tariffs.

ALSO- We have another trade probe from the US: Trump’s administration has launched a trade probe into the imports of medium and heavy-duty trucks weighing over 10k pounds, their parts, and derivatives, according to a US Federal Register announcement (pdf) last week. The investigation — launched on 22 April — will evaluate national security risks associated with the US’ dependency on truck imports, with a focus on assessing domestic producers’ ability to meet US demand and whether specific foreign countries could “weaponize their control over supplies of trucks” and their parts. It will also look into the impact of foreign government subsidies and “predatory trade practices” on the US truck-making industry. (Reuters, NBC, CNN, Asharq Business)

MEANWHILE- US states sue Trump admin over tariff policy: A total of 12 US states have filed a lawsuit to block US President Donald Trump’s tax hikes through tariffs, arguing that the tariffs are illegal under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and that Trump lacks the authority to impose the levies, CNN reported on Thursday. The lawsuit is the latest in a string of legal action against Trump’s tariff policy, which included a lawsuit by California and another one filed by a group of five small US firms.

Chinese companies see shares jump amid trade war: Several Chinese firms involved in cross-border trade — especially logistics companies — saw a boost in their shares after the Chinese government issued a notice upgrading its pilot freetrade program to combat the impact of US tariffs, Bloomberg reported last week, citing Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Marvin Chen. China’s pilot freetrade program calls for optimizing China’s freetrade zone activities by increasing support for digital trade.

Who benefited? Warehousing and storage company CTS International Logistics Corp. saw its shares rise last week by the 10% daily limit in Shanghai, Bloomberg writes. China Master Logistics Co’s shares also increased by 8.6%.

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