Trump-supporting timber business owner struggles as tariffs disrupt trade

An American timber business owner who supports Donald Trump is grappling with unsold inventory and shrinking cash flow due to the ongoing trade war, as Washington's punitive tariffs weigh heavily on his operations and push him to seek alternatives to the Chinese market.

Brandon Arbogast, the owner of Valley Log Sales in Timberville, Virginia, has spent decades in the lumber industry, exporting premium Virginia timber, primarily to China.

In this market, a high-quality timber log can fetch up to 4,000 U.S. dollars. However, the Trump administration's tariffs have upended his trade, leaving him with inventory that would normally be sold overseas.

Although Arbogast is well-versed in the cyclical nature of the lumber business, he now finds himself confronting an unprecedented challenge.

"It's not going too good. We are in a trade war. China takes in about 60 percent of American hardwood, lumber, and logs, and they are such a big market that it makes the rest of the world play fair. It makes it very competitive. And with them not buying, it turns out there are a lot of logs on the market now. Since they are not buying, and people are trying to get the logs as cheap as they can, the rich get richer, and the middle class, like me, suffer," Arbogast said.

Sitting on 120,000 to 130,000 U.S. dollars' worth of unsold wood, Arbogast is contemplating selling some of his land to maintain cash flow.

"I can still hold for a while. I've been okay in this business; the business has been kind to me. I've worked very hard to get where I am. I can hold for a little while. I can't hold forever. I'm just hoping soon something happens with the trade deal, and you know it works out for both sides," Arbogast added.

Despite the difficulties, Arbogast remains hopeful. He is not angry with President Trump. As a self-identified Trump supporter, Arbogast is willing to endure the hardship, hoping that a resolution to the trade dispute will eventually bring relief.

For now, his premium walnut logs, which are typically transformed into furniture, flooring, and kitchen cabinets, remain idle in the field, surrounded by growing crops.

The unsold walnut wood has become a growing concern for Arbogast's business. Like many small business owners around the world, he and countless others are waiting for progress.

Eyes are now on Geneva, where high-level talks on China-U.S. economic and trade affairs commenced on Saturday.

China's lead representative, He Lifeng, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and vice premier, attended the meeting alongside U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Although Geneva may seem like a million miles away, small business owners like Arbogast are eager for signs of progress. While they can hold out for now, they are hoping to return to normal operations -- shipping logs worldwide and ensuring jobs for workers who transform timber into essential products.

Trump-supporting timber business owner struggles as tariffs disrupt trade

Trump-supporting timber business owner struggles as tariffs disrupt trade

Trump-supporting timber business owner struggles as tariffs disrupt trade

Trump-supporting timber business owner struggles as tariffs disrupt trade

Trump-supporting timber business owner struggles as tariffs disrupt trade

China is aiming to transition its ambitious space program from a strategic goal into a core economic driver, with the country vowing to integrate the advances of its aerospace technology into everyday life, from broader satellite internet coverage to even offering affordable commercial space travel.

China's recently unveiled 2026 government work report has officially designated aerospace as a "new pillar industry" for the first time, elevating it from a "strategic emerging industry" to a status akin to high-speed rail and 5G technology, highlighting how integral and well developed the sector has become.

The report was delivered by Chinese Premier Li Qiang last Thursday during the opening meeting of the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature, part of China's annual "two sessions" political meetings, which also includes the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Conference (CPPCC), China's top political advisory body.

The upgraded status of the aerospace sector outlined in the government work report signals the country's intent to turn its lunar dreams and orbital infrastructure into tangible economic benefits that can reshape people's daily lives.

China has already made remarkable progress in recent years through its space exploration endeavors, with the Tiangong space station becoming fully operational and occupied by a continuous rotation of astronaut crews in orbit, the Chang'e 6 mission retrieving mankind's first ever lunar samples from the far side of the moon, and a rover being successfully touching down on the surface of the Mars.

Now China's most eye-catching immediate goal is to land astronauts on the moon by 2030, with a long-term vision of building a lunar base. The mission aims to conduct scientific surveys and technology tests on the lunar surface, while also serving as a platform for enhanced crewed exploration capabilities. The broader goal sees the moon being envisioned as a future transit station for launching deeper space travel, making science-fiction dreams a reality.

Currently, the development of key equipment for undertaking this mammoth mission such as the Long March-10 carrier rocket, the Mengzhou spacecraft, and the Lanyue lander, is progressing smoothly, with multiple large-scale tests already completed. The construction of related facilities at the Wenchang Space Launch Site on south China's island province of Hainan is also being vigorously advanced.

While China is setting its sights on the stars, it is also looking to bring the benefits of its outer space developments back to those on Earth. The country is accelerating the construction of a "satellite internet constellation" in low Earth orbit to achieve global coverage -- a key priority specifically highlighted in the government work report.

Currently, constellation projects represented by the Guowang, or national network, and the Qianfan, also known as the SpaceSail constellation, have entered an intensive deployment phase. These initiatives are driving collaborative innovation across the entire industrial chain, including in developing new materials, precision manufacturing, electronic information, and data applications, unleashing a powerful "chain-driven" effect.

Once the satellite internet system is complete, ordinary mobile phone users will be able to connect directly to satellites, even when in areas which now suffer from poor coverage, making the concept of "never losing signal" a potentially standard feature. Autonomous driving positioning will become more precise, and in the event of ground network disruptions caused by natural disasters, the satellite network could serve as a critical lifeline.

Meanwhile, the advances made in re-usable rocket technology could soon make the once far-fetched notion of regular space travel a viable commercial concept. Historically, rocket launches were prohibitively expensive "customized charter" flights, but breakthroughs in reusable rocket technology are drastically cutting costs, as some note the era of the "space shuttle bus" is now approaching.

The latest generation Long March-10 rocket recently completed a key low-altitude verification test flight, successfully executing a controlled splashdown at sea, representing substantial progress in work to implement reusable launch systems.

Domestic commercial space companies have already begun pre-selling tickets for suborbital flights and have signed contracts with several enthusiastic space tourists, showcasing that a "ticket to the stars" could one day become accessible to members of the public.

Several NPC deputies and political advisors have noted during the "two sessions" meetings in Beijing that China's space sector is moving from technological imitation to independent leadership, with some innovations having ventured into "uncharted territory."

As a newly-designated national pillar industry, China's aerospace sector is leading the way towards a future of seamless connectivity and may even offer the ultimate round-trip experience to space.

China's space ambitions to become core economic driver with seamless connectivity, commercial space travel