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China Feels Tariffs' Sting; U.S. Factory Jobs Go Unfilled; FedEx Freight Spinoff Gets a Boss By Mark R. Long

China will likely benefit from a spike in trade as U.S. companies race to import goods during a 90-day tariff rollback, giving the nation a breather as trade tensions drag on an economy facing a range of challenges.

The WSJ's Jason Douglas reports that the world's No. 2 economy showed signs of slowing last month as trade tensions with the U.S. peaked , with industrial production growing at a slower pace. Retail sales and investment in buildings, equipment and other fixed assets also lost steam. Although tensions between Washington and Beijing have eased , the rolled-back base tariff rate on Chinese products of 30% is still high, likely depressing exports to the U.S. if it stays at that level. And China may not be able to make up for losing American business by shipping more goods to other countries , because some nations worry that a rush of cheaper Chinese goods would undercut their own producers.

More forceful government and central-bank moves to juice domestic consumption , among other actions, may be needed if growth is to reach Beijing's 5% goal this year, economists say. One risk though, is that the bump in trade before the 90-day window closes could damp Beijing's appetite for stimulus.

European Union economists cut the bloc's growth forecasts for this year and next with U.S. tariffs hitting exports. (WSJ) Nvidia plans to build Taiwan's first AI supercomputer while deepening partnerships with electronics maker Foxconn, as tariffs test global supply chains. (WSJ) Proposed fees on Chinese container cranes would cost U.S. ports nearly $7 billion , a trade group said as it called for the policy to be delayed. (Journal of Commerce) Foxconn has invested $1.48 billion in its India unit as the iPhone maker scales up production outside China. (Times of India) Air-freight volumes from China to North America fell 27% from the previous week in the seven days ending May 11, the first full week since the end of the de minimis tariff exemption. (Air Cargo News) CONTENT FROM: PENSKE Gain a Leg Up. Gain Ground with Penske.

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Number of the Day Help Wanted

President Trump's tariffs are aimed partly at bringing back factory jobs to the U.S., but manufacturers already are struggling to find qualified workers willing to take on work that can be gritty and physically demanding.

The Journal's Chao Deng and Te-Ping Chen write that nearly half of manufacturing companies say their biggest challenge is recruiting and keeping workers . The companies often have to assign workers to shifts with rigid hours in jobs that pay 7.8% less on average than the public sector as a whole. Forty years ago, factory wages were 3.8% higher. Employers face other, less concrete obstacles, such as misconceptions that all factory work is dirty or dangerous, or lingering wariness after mass layoffs in the 1990s and early 2000s as manufacturing work moved overseas. Companies may have to add greater scheduling flexibility and other inducements to draw in workers.

Quotable LTL Leadership

FedEx named company veteran John Smith to lead the spinoff of its less-than-truckload operations, the U.S.'s largest.

The Memphis, Tenn., transportation and delivery giant said Smith will serve as CEO of FedEx Freight once the spinoff as a separate public company is complete in June of 2026, Dow Jones Newswires' Katherine Hamilton reports. Smith will continue until then serving in his current role as chief operating officer of U.S. and Canada ground operations. From 2018 to 2021 Smith led the less-than-truckload division, which combines shipments from multiple companies on a single truck, as well as caters to the e-commerce market for big and bulky products. The unit has more than 30,000 vehicles, 350 North American facilities and annual revenue of more than $9 billion. FedEx announced the spinoff in December as a move to streamline corporate structure and unlock value some shareholders argued had been lost inside the delivery giant.

In Other News

The EU and U.K. agreed on a trade and security deal , giving British arms makers access to the bloc's $167 billion defense budget. (WSJ)

GOP lawmakers have put clean-energy tax credits on the chopping block , and states-including those where the sector is booming-are weighing tougher rules. (WSJ)

Electronics manufacturer Sanmina agreed to acquire ZT Systems' data-center infrastructure-manufacturing business from Advanced Micro Devices for up to $3 billion. (WSJ)

Chinese tech giant Xiaomi plans to invest around $7 billion in chip design over a decade. (WSJ)

Diageo expects a $150M annual profit cut on U.S. tariffs, casting a cloud over the booze giant's turnaround efforts. (WSJ)

Blackstone is expanding its infrastructure business with a deal to buy energy holding company TXNM Energy for nearly $5.7 billion in cash. (WSJ)

Israel's Zim reaffirmed its full-year guidance despite trade uncertainty and said it modified its network to match changes in ocean cargo flows. (Dow Jones Newswires)

Net U.S. trailer orders dropped 50% last month from March to 10,669 units as tariff volatility and economic uncertainty weighed on the truck freight market, FTR said. (Dow Jones Newswires)

Consolidated Chassis Management added 300 chassis to Florida's Port Tampa Bay as it invests to meet growing demand in the region. (American Journal of Transportation)

Worldwide orders for new ships are down 57% from a year ago, sending newbuild prices slightly lower, according to Clarksons Research. (Splash 247)

Operations at Libya's port of Tripoli have been suspended as rival factions clash nearby. (Lloyd's List)

Amazon is building a 3.1 million-square-foot robotics fulfillment center in Virginia, its fourth in the state. (Supply Chain Dive)

BNSF unionized yardmasters ratified a new collective bargaining agreement . (Trains Magazine)

Toppoint Holdings said revenue grew in its first quarter as a publicly traded company as a new partnership with a New Jersey logistics provider boosted import volumes 37%. (The Trucker)

About Us

Mark R. Long is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Reach him at [mark.long@wsj.com]. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team on LinkedIn: Mark R. Long , Liz Young and Paul Berger .

This article is a text version of a Wall Street Journal newsletter published earlier today.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 20, 2025 07:13 ET (11:13 GMT)

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