Likely No Fireworks for US Independence Day Celebration: Trump’s Former Adviser Says Americans Will Miss Chinese Products the Most

Sweeping tariffs rolled out by the new US administration are rattling global trade and hitting millions of American families at home. Across the media landscape, warnings abound: consumer prices are climbing, and The New York Times bluntly asks whether Americans can even picture daily life without Chinese-made goods.

American Households and the “Made in China” Bind

A recent New York Times visual analysis illustrate vividly the extent of American dependence on Chinese imports. 

Visualization from The New York Times

The report color-coded everyday products by their Chinese import share : gray for less than 20%, Green, 20-40%, Yellow, 40-60%, Orange, 60-80%, and red for over 80%.

More than 99 percent of toasters in American homes are imported from China.

The takeaway: many household essentials are overwhelmingly sourced from China, and new tariffs threaten to push prices even higher.

Step into any American kitchen and you’ll find that nearly every toaster, actually up to more than 99%, is made in China. Personal care staples like makeup brushes, nail clippers, and combs, almost all bear the “Made in China” label.

The pattern repeats throughout the American home: metal patio chairs, charcoal grills, umbrellas, computer monitors, desk lamps, first-aid kits, irons, flashlights, fireworks, baby strollers, and Christmas ornaments – 70% to 90% of these goods come from Chinese factories.

98 percent of umbrellas (red) sold in the United States come from China.

Decades of manufacturing investment have made China the world’s workshop, producing nearly one-third of all physical goods -- more than the US, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and the UK combined. As the South China Morning Post once quipped, even the pen President Trump used to sign his tariff orders was likely made in China.

No Fireworks for the 250^th National Day Celebration?

America’s reliance on Chinese manufacturing extends to its most cherished celebrations. Between February 2024 and January 2025, the U.S. imported $508 million in fireworks – 95% from China. With tariffs now as high as 145%, fireworks companies have halted orders from Chinese suppliers. The United States’ 250^th National Day Celebration might go without fireworks.

Stacy Schneitter Blake, president of the National Fireworks Association (NFA) and co-owner of Schneider Fireworks, says the industry is facing an unprecedented crisis.  With Chinese factories soon to pause for their summer recess, she warns that unless tariffs are lifted soon, American importers may miss the window for placing orders for the 250th Independence Day celebrations next year.

The NFA and The American Pyrotechnics Association (APA) have jointly pleaded for relief, stressing that 99% of consumer fireworks and 75% of display fireworks come from China, and that there is simply no domestic alternative. “Tariffs will not incentivize US production. They will only increase costs. The reality is that there are no manufacturing alternatives available outside of China,” the associations stated.

Julie Heckman, CEO of the APA says bluntly, “Fireworks will not be manufactured in the US. It’s just impossible. We don’t have the necessary raw materials or chemicals, and even if someone wanted to start, you’d have to import all the chemicals.”

In early April, the APA sent a letter to Trump asking him to remove the tariffs on fireworks. In the letter, the association referenced the Trump administration’s 2019 decision to exempt the fireworks industry from similar tariffs, emphasizing the sector’s unique characteristics and its significance to American traditions. The APA urged the administration to take sensible action now.

Businesses Squeezed-“Am I to Sell Bald Dolls?”

The impact of tariffs is rippling through the broader economy. According to data from SmartScout, average prices for nearly a thousand products on Amazon jumped 29% after the April tariff hikes, hitting categories from clothing and jewelry to toys and electronics. Many businesses that rely on Chinese suppliers are freezing shipments and suspending orders, sending shockwaves through supply chains.

Screenshot from CNN report

The US toy industry is particularly exposed: nearly 80% of all toys sold in America are made in China. Isaac Larian, CEO of MGA Entertainment, says he’s been left with no choice. “We have no choice but to increase our prices by double digits. The life of my business, 46 years, is on the line.” He stressed that domestic sourcing isn’t an option. The US doesn’t produce the materials needed for doll hair, for example. “What am I supposed to do – sell bald dolls?” he asks in despair.

Jay Foreman, CEO of Basic Fun!, says his entire supply chain is tied to China. Higher tariffs, he warns, threaten not just prices and supply, but the very survival of the US toy industry.

Economic Fallout Mounts - “Americans Will Miss Chinese Goods Most”

The broader economic toll is becoming clear. Ryan Petersen, founder of Flexport, reports that container bookings from China to the US have plunged by over 60% in three weeks since tariffs took effect. Torsten Slok, chief economist at Apollo Global Management, warns that store shelves could be bare within weeks, with layoffs looming for dockworkers, truck drivers, and retail staff.

Gary Cohn, former chief economic adviser to Trump, sums up the dilemma: “I think we're all starting to realize that the country we're most dependent upon in the United States and for our shelves and what we would miss the most would be what comes out of China.”

Mao Paishou

** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **

The New Year barely begins, and Washington drops a flashbang on global diplomacy. A sitting president is forcibly detained and taken out of his own country — a move that blows past diplomatic convention and rams straight into international law’s red lines. On Taiwan, the chatter instantly turns into self-projection, as some people try to shoehorn a faraway conflict into the island’s own storyline. Anxiety spreads fast.

Maduro in cuffs, in a US federal courtroom — the raid’s image problem. (AP)

The South China Morning Post says the US action against Venezuela ignites a fierce debate on the island. Some commentary links the raid to the PLA’s recent encirclement drills around Taiwan, arguing parts of those exercises look, at least in form, like the US’s so-called “decapitation operations”: essentially a leadership-targeting operation. Some American scholars also warn this kind of play could set a dangerous precedent and invite copycats.

“Justice Mission-2025” rolls on as the Eastern Theater Command drills.

That debate doesn’t stay academic for long. It pumps up the island’s unease, with some people asking whether the same kind of military method could one day be copied and pasted into the Taiwan Strait. Even if it mostly lives in public talk, a high-tension political environment turns speculation into something that feels like risk.

People on the island don’t read the US move the same way. A small minority treats it as a US power flex, packed with intel integration, precision strike, and long-range reach. But the more clear-eyed view is harsher: such action chips away at the basic consensus of international order — because if major powers can raid at will and topple other countries’ leaders for their own aims, “rules” stop acting like rules.

Anxiety turns into politics

That worry quickly lands in Taiwan’s political arena. On Jan 5, multiple Taiwan legislators pressed Deputy Defense Minister Hsu Szu-chien at the legislature, asking how he views the US action against Venezuela and whether the PLA might replicate a similar model in the Taiwan Strait. Hsu doesn’t answer head-on. Rather, he merely mentioned preparing and drilling for all kinds of sudden contingencies.

Then he pivots to money. He urges the legislature to pass military budget appropriations quickly and plays up the urgency of delays eating into “preparation time.”

That kind of sidestep, unsurprisingly, only deepened public unease.

SCMP, citing multiple security experts, says the DPP authorities try to play down the association — but outsiders don’t fully rule it out. The reason, those experts argue, is the PLA’s continuing push to improve its ability to shift from exercises to real combat. On the island, that alone works like an anxiety amplifier.

Back in the real world, the PLA Eastern Theater Command has been running “Justice Mission-2025” exercises since Dec 29 last year. Official statements spell out the purpose: a stern warning to “Taiwan independence” separatist forces and external interference, and a move aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty and unification. The message is public and clear, there’s no gray area.

Some US think-tank voices pull a more confrontational takeaway from the US action. American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Hal Brands warns the US raid on Venezuela could create a “demonstration effect,” and he speculates China would watch those tactics closely. Some military commentators on the island seized the moment to hype fears, claiming the mainland might act during a “window” when US power is stretched thin.

That line of talk sounds like analysis, but it functions like a panic pump. US scholar Lev Nachman even says bluntly on social media that if a sudden military action hits the Taiwan Strait, the island could suffer “instant collapse” — not just militarily, but as a psychological shock to society.

KMT Chairperson Cheng Li-wun, in an interview, points to Donald Trump repeatedly stressing a shift of strategic focus toward affairs in the Americas. She says the Venezuela incident should be examined through the framework of international law, and she calls for disputes in any region to be resolved by peaceful means rather than force.

Cheng also reiterates the KMT position: uphold the “1992 Consensus,” oppose “Taiwan independence,” and urge Lai Ching-te to clearly oppose “Taiwan independence,” not touch legal red lines, and avoid continuously raising cross-strait conflict risks.

Rules talk meets reality

International reaction also turns critical of Washington’s approach. Multiple governments and regional organizations speak up quickly, condemning the action as a violation of the UN Charter, which explicitly prohibits using force to threaten or violate another nation’s territorial integrity and political independence. The telling part is the silence: the Western countries that often talk about “international rules” either zipped their mouths, or danced around the question this time.

Reuters says that even though China, Russia, and others clearly condemn the US behavior, the Trump administration is unlikely to face strong pressure from allies as a result. That selective muteness, by itself, drains the credibility of the international order.

On Jan. 5, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian commented again, saying the US actions clearly violate international law and the basic norms of international relations, and violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. China calls on the US to ensure the personal safety of President Maduro and his wife, immediately release them, stop subverting the Venezuelan government, and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiation.