U.S. bookings for container shipments from China to the United States have surged by nearly 300 percent following the 90-day tariff pause announced by both countries.
Data from container-tracking software provider Vizion reveals that average bookings for the seven days ending on Wednesday skyrocketed to over 21,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), compared to about 5,700 TEUs just a week earlier.
German container shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd also reported on Wednesday that its container bookings for China-U.S. traffic had jumped by 50 percent week on week in the first few days of this week.
Container shipments from China to the U.S. had dropped sharply after April 2, when U.S. President Donald Trump raised tariffs on Chinese goods to an unprecedented 145 percent.
Over the weekend, the two nations held a high-level economic and trade meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, aimed at easing trade tensions.
According to a joint statement released by the world's two largest economies following the meeting, both nations agreed to a 90-day tariff pause, during which U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports will be reduced from 145 percent to 30 percent, while Chinese tariffs on U.S. goods will be cut from 125 percent to 10 percent.
US container shipments from China surge 300 pct following tariff pause: data
Demonstrators rallied across U.S. cities over the weekend to denounce the military action in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, who were flown out of the country.
The Venezuelan government said the military strikes targeted civilian and military sites in at least four states, including Caracas, as well as the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, adding that the U.S. action blatantly violated the UN Charter.
The U.S. military intervention has since drawn widespread criticism, sparking protests at home.
Protesters gathered outside the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn on Sunday, where Maduro is being held, calling the U.S. government actions outrageous and a violation of international law.
Others gathered in the Times Square on Saturday following the capture of the Venezuelan president and his wife, saying the actions are not only illegal but also showed no respect.
"I mean, you don't just step in and take over another country. We have absolutely no right to do that. We have so much trouble in our country right here," said a protester named Sartre.
"It just defies not only human respectability in life but common sense," said another protester.
Additionally, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the White House, holding banners with slogans reading "Hands off Venezuela" and "Stop bombing Venezuela now."
Demonstrators rally in US cities over military action in Venezuela
