Facing the impacts of U.S. so-called "reciprocal tariffs", some foreign trade companies in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality have taken actions to optimize its market layout.
From 10 percent, 34 percent to a staggering 125 percent, the tariffs imposed by the United States on China have been climbing rapidly, causing huge shocks to the trade between two countries.
To cope with such drastic change, Chinese foreign trade firms have actively made adjustments, seeking opportunities amid challenges.
In a foreign trade enterprise in Chongqing, a batch of motorbikes to be delivered to the United States has been stockpiled.
"When the first additional 10 percent of tariff was announced, customers were still willing to share the cost with us after discussions. But now, the additional tariff is so high, neither sides could bear the high cost. Therefore, we talked with our customers and decided to suspend the shipment," said Luo Yong, head of Chongqing Hanwei New Energy Company.
However, the firm's production line was still quite busy, as workers were racing to finish an order from Europe which is worth half a million dollars. Meanwhile, a buyer from the UK was on a fact-finding tour of the factory and was about to sign a deal worth 5 million dollars.
"The quality is very high. We are very happy to cooperate, and we hope to maintain a long-term cooperative relationship," said Suman, a British merchant.
"Since last year, we've been actively expanding markets in EU and emerging economies, in order to lower the risk of dependence on a single market. Our exports to emerging markets are expected to achieve a 20-percent growth this year," Luo said.
Since 2025, many foreign trade companies in Chongqing have been boosting their profit margins via technical upgrade, brand building and supply chain optimization.
According to data from Chongqing Customs, the export of local self-owned brand goods amounted to 54.2 billion yuan (about 7.41 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter of this year, taking up 56 percent of the total export value.
Foreign trade enterprise in Chongqing optimizes market layout to cope with US tariffs
Residents living in Canada's biggest city of Toronto have expressed optimism that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's official visit to China can unlock new economic opportunities, particularly in key fields such as artificial intelligence and infrastructure.
Carney is set to arrive in China on Wednesday to begin a four-day visit at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, marking the first trip by a Canadian prime minister to China since 2017.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with Carney during his stay to provide new strategic guidance for further improving and developing China-Canada relations.
Giving their assessment of the significance of the visit and the outcomes they hope to see achieved, local people in Toronto pointed to the importance of deepening cooperation and view the high-tech sector as one of the most pivotal areas where ties can be enhanced.
"I think, of course, China is probably the leader in AI and new technologies. So, I think Canada can really benefit from Chinese expertise on some of the chip manufacturing or just the use of AI in the medical field, in every other finance field and everything. So, I think this can be very important for Canada to learn from China," said Raman, the provincial liaison manager at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
"I think it is a good idea to strengthen relations with other countries and other trade partners that have been probably more consistent. And especially with things going on in electronics right now and chip manufacturing, I do think that it makes sense at this point in time to be reaching out to China," said Jen, a local nurse.
Some see Carney's visit as an opportunity to broaden the economic agenda in various other key areas.
"I'm actually pretty looking forward to it because they could talk a lot about trade. That could be a good opportunity for Canada and China to explore some other export opportunities on energy, and also, maybe pipeline building, infrastructure building, and also, real estate investment and agriculture," said Xiong Lulu, an equity research analyst.
Looking ahead, many residents emphasize that much depends on whether Carney's visit can translate into concrete agreements.
"It would be nice. I hope there's some kind of good relationship between China and Canada. That would be like a great opportunity that we would miss if we didn't create that relationship with them. So, hopefully, in hindsight, [in] 2026 it does happen," said John, a software developer.
"I think if they can settle some trade deals, that will be great. So, I think it will be great for the Canadian economy," said Xiong.
President Xi and Carney last met on the sidelines of the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in the Republic of Korea (ROK) in October, with both sides agreeing to resume exchanges and cooperation in various fields and jointly advance the development of the China-Canada strategic partnership.
Toronto residents optimistic about Canada-China cooperation prospects
