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1 month ago
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It’s hard to imagine an American home without Chinese products.
Many essentials are imported almost entirely from China — and with new tariffs, they’re likely to become more expensive.
We analyzed import data to show where Americans may see product shortages, fewer choices and price increases.
Ever since China cemented itself as the world’s factory floor decades ago, Americans have become increasingly reliant on Chinese-made goods in their everyday lives.
Should President Trump’s extraordinarily high new tariffs on Chinese products remain in effect, the added cost will likely get passed on to companies and ultimately consumers. While the Trump administration has expressed optimism about a deal to cut the tariffs, even lower ones could have far-reaching effects.
But not everything will become more expensive. The production of some items has shifted to other countries, like Mexico and Vietnam, in recent years. And a few products are still widely made in America.
America’s reliance on China is easy to see in your kitchen. China leads the global production of cheap goods made in large volume, such as dishes and cooking gadgets.
The United States also imports all of its household toasters, and nearly every one of them comes from China.
Over decades, Beijing has spent billions to support the growth of China’s manufacturing industry. Today, the country makes nearly one of every three physical products in the world — more than the United States, Germany, Japan, South Korea and Britain combined.
The U.S. has become so reliant on China that it would have trouble celebrating its own national holiday without it. The vast majority of fireworks are imported from China.
China also makes a lot of the things in your living room, but probably not everything. The TV is most likely from Mexico, for instance, and the couch from Vietnam.
This is because since 2018, a curious shift has occurred: Americans began buying more furniture and appliances from countries other than China.
During his first term, Mr. Trump put tariffs on a long list of Chinese products. Some items, like wooden furniture and washing machines, were subject to other protective duties even before that.
The import taxes prompted manufacturers to open new factories in countries like Mexico, Vietnam and Thailand. These places now import record amounts of Chinese components and sell assembled products, like Nintendo gaming consoles, to the United States.
These countries are replacing China as the top supplier for some products. Take vacuum cleaners: Four out of five used to be from China, but Vietnam is now the largest supplier, despite barely making any five years ago.
A few things are still made in large volume in America. A small but significant share of furniture is made domestically, mostly at the higher end. So are the vast majority of mattresses, which are bulky and costly to ship.
In your bathroom, makeup brushes, nail clippers and combs — nearly all your personal care items are likely made in China.
That may not be the case for your cotton items. China is the world’s largest producer of textiles, but these days Americans no longer get much of their bedding, linen or clothes from there.
This is partly because in the final days of Mr. Trump’s first term, he banned cotton from Xinjiang from entering the U.S., citing human rights abuses and forced labor. Xinjiang is where more than 90 percent of China’s cotton is produced.
But China has also lost business to countries with lower wages. Last year, Nicaragua was the top source for T-shirts, India for towels and Bangladesh for jeans.
The single most expensive product in many homes — a car — is almost certainly not from China. In fact, it’s nearly impossible for Americans to buy a Chinese-made vehicle because of older tariffs and strict regulatory requirements.
That doesn’t mean your car won’t become more expensive. Many auto parts come from China, and new tariffs on many foreign-made ones are set to take effect on May 3. And if you’re in the market for an electric vehicle, you’ll find that the most expensive component, the battery, is likely made in China — and subject to tariffs of 173 percent.
Manufacturers were able to keep the flow of goods going to consumers when the first Trump administration imposed tariffs on China, but that may be a lot harder this time.
The new tariffs, set at a steep 145 percent, threaten to cut off imports for most products. And tariffs planned for dozens of other nations mean that suppliers who try to source from other countries may still incur costs.
While it’s difficult to say how much more expensive products will get, economists say that most of the inflated import costs tend to get passed on to consumers. However it plays out, furnishing your home will probably become harder and more costly.
