April generally isn't peak season for Grinchy activity, but President Trump's tariffs may have already ruined Christmas for some Chinese exporters and their American customers. Producers of Christmas decorations in China say US buyers are normally finalizing their orders at this time of year, but with the trade war escalating, they haven't heard from many of the American clients their businesses rely on, Reuters reports. "So far this year, none of my American customers have placed any orders," said Qun Ying, who runs an artificial Christmas tree factory. "Of course it's about the tariffs," he says. "Maybe American customers won't buy anything this year."
America gets around 87% of its Christmas decorations from China, and around half of China's Christmas exports go to the US. If the US tax on imports from China—which Trump upped to 125% on Wednesday afternoon—remains in place, Christmas decorations this year will be a lot more expensive for many Americans, if they can even find them in stores, Reuters notes. Trump may have visions of American Christmas decoration factories dancing in his head, but Jami Warner, executive director of the American Christmas Tree Association, says the industry can't just switch to US suppliers for artificial Christmas trees.
"They certainly can't be made in the United States. There's no manufacturing, the technology isn't here, the labor market isn't here," Warner tells Reuters. Warner, who estimates that 80% of the Christmas trees displayed in the US are artificial, mostly made in China, is saddened that the industry has been caught in the middle of the trade war. "What our members make and sell are not strategic products," she says. "We're not threatening. We're a happy, joyful business. We'd like to stay in that joyful business." (More China stories.)
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