In 2025, the “tariff war” unilaterally initiated by the United States continues to spread across the global trade landscape, severely impacting China’s foreign trade.
Especially in April of that year, the so-called “reciprocal tariff” policy in the United States was implemented, and the tariff rate once soared to 145%. Export companies in Guangdong, my country’s largest foreign trade province, were under tremendous pressure in terms of orders, profits, supply chains, and even industrial ecology.
The reporter visited the affected foreign trade companies in Guangdong half a year ago. At the end of 2025, the reporter returned to Dongguan, Shenzhen and other places to record the companies’ responses to the changes.
In the workshop of a packaging company in Dongguan, two new fully automated equipment are running at high speed.
Yu Lin, the person in charge of the company, is busier than six months ago, and behind it is a report card of growth against the trend.
The company’s annual sales in 2023 will be more than 60 million yuan, and orders in 2025 will be completed ahead of schedule, with annual sales expected to reach 130 million yuan.
Yu Lin recalled that at the beginning of 2025, companies’ export orders to the United States accounted for 30%, and operating pressure increased sharply after the outbreak of the tariff war.
The key to achieving growth is to quickly adjust the market structure.
The European market, which used to have a small proportion, has grown by 20% – 30% this year.
At the same time, companies no longer rely on price competition, but instead turn to quality and customized demands, actively deploy energy-saving and environmentally friendly products, and launch new packaging products using PCR recycled materials to meet the new requirements of international brands for sustainable development.
The impact of tariffs is also obvious on the logistics side.
Data from a Shenzhen supply chain company that has been deeply involved in European and American routes for more than ten years shows that in April 2025, container volume on U.S. routes fell to the lowest level of the year, and continued to fluctuate in the following months.
Huang Linan, the company’s general manager, said frankly that in the early days of the tariff war, almost all customers were stuck in a wait-and-see or even “stop” state.
In the face of shocks, different companies have different responses.
Dongguan’s Yalan Packaging has survived the difficult stage by stocking up in advance, stabilizing old customers, and exploring the European market. It has also increased investment in equipment, expanded its team, and made “countercyclical investments.”
Business leaders believe that their own value should be enhanced during adjustments.
Industry insiders pointed out that the persistence of enterprises stems from the deeper resilience of China’s foreign trade.
Relevant personnel from the Shenzhen E-Commerce Service Center analyzed that the complete manufacturing system and efficient supply chain collaboration capabilities formed over many years have enabled China’s foreign trade to not only rely on low-cost advantages.
From design, proofing to delivery, domestic companies can respond to global customer needs faster, which is a competitiveness that is difficult to replicate in overseas markets.
However, uncertainty continues.
The fourth quarter of 2025 is usually the peak season for foreign trade stocking, but the overall performance is not as good as expected.
Data from supply chain companies show that although container volume has recovered in the fourth quarter, it is still about 10% lower than the same period in 2024.
Many companies are cautious about the future market and focus on “stability”.
When traditional markets are under pressure, emerging markets have become new growth engines.
A cross-border e-commerce platform in Shenzhen that focuses on the Southeast Asian market continues to lead the online sales of 3C and home products in Indonesia and other countries building the “Belt and Road”.
The relevant person in charge said that the ASEAN market has a young population structure, great consumption potential, and new business formats such as live streaming e-commerce are developing rapidly and have become the most important source of growth.
Experts believe that emerging markets are in the stage of dual release of demographic dividend and digital dividend, with strong demand for new infrastructure and parallel “production + sales”, opening up a broader space for Chinese foreign trade companies.
From the product upgrades of Dongguan packaging companies, to the resilience of Shenzhen supply chain companies, to the cross-border e-commerce platform’s deep exploration of the ASEAN market, Guangdong’s foreign trade companies are looking for their own way out in the tariff changes.
Although challenges still exist, companies have enhanced their risk resistance through technology iteration, market diversification and digital transformation.
The road to foreign trade is full of ups and downs, but Chinese foreign trade companies are using actions to prove that resilience is the real confidence to survive the cycle.
