Candice Li says that after Washington raised tariffs on Chinese goods by 145%, U.S. orders for the medical devices her firm is making have vanished.
"It's a matter of life and death because 60-70% of our business is with American clients," said Li, marketing manager of Conmo Electronic Co. "Goods cannot be exported and money cannot be collected. This is very severe."
Li was at her firm's booth at the Canton Fair, China's biggest trade expo held twice-a-year in the southern city of Guangzhou, where more than 30,000 exhibitors showcase their products over an area larger than 200 football fields.
This was the first such fair China has held since U.S. President Donald Trump slapped tariffs in excess of 100% on China and of at least 10% on the rest of the world earlier this month.
Most exporters Reuters spoke with said U.S. orders, which for firms like Li's are vital, have either been delayed or stopped coming - a bad sign for the world's second-largest economy, whose growth last year relied heavily on running a trillion-dollar trade surplus.
