The Maersk Halifax, on the central road and South America, places at the Qianwan container terminal from the Port of Qingdao to Qingdao, Shandong province, in China, November 10, 2024.
Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty images
Following the president Trump’s prices in Mexico and CanadaPrepare for higher prices to reach soon.
This is the message of the Maersk shipping giant The climbing of the trade war between the North American nations. Although the White House affirms that inflation is not a concern, the point of view of Maersk on the American economy corresponds to that of retailers and trade groups as new prices on Mexico and Canada – and the reprisals of these countries – constitute an inflationary threat to the American economy.
“The short -term effect of any price is clearly inflation,” said Charles Van der Steene, president of North America for Maersk, the second largest ocean freight carrier in the world. “It is an inflationary in its essence,” he said during an interview with the TPM conference in Long Beach, California, a major annual convention for the logistics industry.
Retailers, including the target – whose CEO said prices could increase in a few days – to the main lobbies of companies such as the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, which indicates that the prices “only increase prices”, inflation is expected in supply chains and to reach the consumer.
At midnight, the 25% prices of Trump on Mexico and Canada goods, plus 10% on Canadian energy products and an additional 10% on Chinese products, entered into force.
Doursation day, Canada launched its reprisal prices, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying that there would be 25% prices on more than $ 100 billion in American products over 21 days. Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said the reprisal rates will be announced on March 9. China has announced its new prices On American products, which will start on March 10.
While world trade rates add up, Maersk expects the inflationary impact to persist in the long -term medium. But Van Der Steene said that “the expectation is that the effect will finally soften”.
In the longer term, he said that there was greater uncertainty about the prices and the repatriation of potential supply chains.
While Recent survey dataand the comments of retailers such as Target, said A weakened consumerVan Der Steene said that the strength of the American consumer remains a silver lining in the middle of the trade war.
“We continue to see the American consumer and the American market overall to be extremely resilient and strong,” said Van der Steene. “Consumption of consumers continued to be strong, not only in the last quarter, but in the last six quarters. And it was a big engine behind the American economy overall.”
Other international retailers, for example, have been Coming to the American market Due to its consumer strength compared to other markets.
In an interview with CNBC on Tuesday, trade secretary Howard Lunick said that the prices are not inflationary and that there will be a clear reset on commercial policy with the policy of reciprocal rates from April 2.
During the weekend, the Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent “Eat all the prices that continue.”
“These countries have used us and mistreated us”, ” Lutnick said on CNBC. “It will change. This is incredible the way we get ripped around the world and Donald Trump will settle it, make it mutual and make it fair.”
On average, the The world imposes more than twice as high prices Like those applied by the United States to imports, but large comparisons leave aside important details in trade relations: many countries impose considerably higher prices on products such as food, clothing, alcohol and tobacco to protect local industries or regulate consumption, with targeted prices highlighting strategic role-role policies on global markets.
India, which has the highest average tariffs on American products, has benefited from manufacturers expanding their capacity outside of China, and this industrial migration has attracted investments by companies such as Maersk, which recently announced its intention to invest $ 5 billion in India, focusing on terminal and internal logistics.
Trump threatened with India prices as well as as part of the wider reprisal tariff plan envisaged by the Trump administration.
Van der Steene said that if India prices could have a short -term effect, the ultimate importance of India within the world supply chain from the point of view of production capacity, and to balance part of China’s capacity, “is such that we do not expect that it has a longer -term effect as to the way in which the chain of global supply and trade are fundaled. Mondial is for the benefit of all, everywhere “,” he added.
The trade war and the prices were a source of concern for the maritime sector and transport, with the risk of a decline in consumer consumption, potentially resulting in less freight orders, especially after the download of many maritime customers before the tariff plans of the new administration.
