Chinese Imports Hit 2-Decade Low as Trump Tariffs Begin to Bite

The share of U.S. imports from China in the first quarter of the year fell to its lowest point in over 20 years, as the high tariffs President Trump has put on Chinese goods clamped down on trade.

U.S. imports from China reached $102.7 billion in the first three months of the year, veri released by the Commerce Department showed Tuesday. That puts the share of imported goods from China at just 11 percent in the first quarter, down sharply from over 22 percent seven years ago.

While the share of imports from China tends to fluctuate with seasonal swings in purchasing, Mr. Trump’s decision in early April to ratchet up U.S. tariffs on China has clearly begun to cascade through supply chains. Because it takes many weeks for products to move from Chinese factories onto cargo ships across the ocean and into American stores, U.S. consumers are, in many cases, just beginning to see the effect of higher prices from the tariffs. But as the summer goes on, those effects are likely to compound.