Walmart has told some Chinese suppliers to resume shipments: sources

Some manufacturers in China’s Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces – export powerhouses that have been hit hard by the US-China trade war – have been told by Walmart and other major US retailers to resume shipments in recent days, the Post has learned.

A major exporter of stationery and office products in the eastern city of Ningbo received a notification from Walmart on Monday to resume normal deliveries to the United States, weeks after a series of tit-for-tat tariff hikes between the world’s two largest economies slowed shipments to a trickle.

The costs of the new import duties will be borne by the US clients, the firm said.

“We have been told by our long-time partner Walmart to start shipping more [to the US], and we won’t need to bear the extra costs of the new tariffs [on Chinese goods],” the company’s vice-president told the Post on Monday.

At least one exporter in Jiangsu has also been asked to prepare for a recovery in demand.

“We have learned that major retailers have advised their Chinese vendors to resume orders,” said Paul Tai, regional director at Mainetti, which designs and exports garment hangers and packaging products sold across the US and Europe, adding similar notices were circulated by US clients as early as April 23.