Nearly half of Chinese foreign trade enterprises to cut US business, explore new markets

Many Chinese foreign trade companies plan to scale back their business with the United States and are actively seeking alternatives, including expanding into emerging markets and boosting domestic sales, according to a recent survey by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).

The survey, conducted to better understand the impact of U.S. tariffs on Chinese foreign trade companies and to offer targeted trade promotion services, involved over 1,100 companies nationwide, said Zhao Ping, spokeswoman for the CCPIT, at a press conference on Monday in Beijing.

She shared the survey findings in response to media questions about the effects of U.S. tariffs on Chinese businesses.

The survey found that nearly 50 percent of the companies surveyed plan to reduce their business dealings with the U.S., while 75.3 percent intend to tap into emerging markets to offset the reduction in their exports to the U.S., according to Zhao.

The surveyed companies said that frequent changes in tariff policies have significantly increased uncertainty, making it difficult for them to plan long-term, Zhao said.

However, with a series of policies aimed at stabilizing foreign trade, many enterprises are actively seeking solutions, including exploring alternative markets, increasing domestic sales, and strengthening supply chain resilience, the spokeswoman added.

"The CCPIT will expedite the approval process for enterprises seeking to host or participate in exhibitions overseas. So far, 1,235 overseas exhibition projects for 2025 have been approved, and nearly 10,000 trade updates have been published on our platform serving enterprises, helping businesses stay informed about changes in overseas market and seize new opportunities," Zhao said.

Nearly half of Chinese foreign trade enterprises to cut US business, explore new markets

The death toll from a landfill collapse in the central Philippine city of Cebu has risen to eight by Monday morning as search and rescue operations continued for another 28 missing people.

The landfill collapse occurred on Thursday as dozens of sanitation workers were working at the site. The disaster has already caused injuries of 18 people.

Family members of the missing people said the rescue progress is slow, and the hope for the survival of their loved ones is fading.

"For me, maybe I’ve accepted the worst result already because the garbage is poisonous and yesterday, it was raining very hard the whole day. Maybe they’ve been poisoned. For us, alive or dead, I hope we can get their bodies out of the garbage rubble," said Maria Kareen Rubin, a family member of a victim.

Families have set up camps on high ground near the landfill, awaiting news of their relatives. Some people at the site said cries for help could still be heard hours after the landfill collapsed, but these voices gradually faded away.

Bienvenido Ranido, who lost his wife in the disaster, said he can't believe all that happened.

"After they gave my wife oxygen, my kids and I were expecting that she would be saved that night because she was still alive. But the night came and till the next morning, they didn't manage to save her," he said.

Death toll in central Philippine landfill collapse rises to eight