Executive director of the Airforwarders Association(AfA), Brandon Fried, called on the US Government to freeze tariffs, as negotiations continued between the US and China.
Both sides have agreed to suspend implementation of swingeing import taxes -triggered by Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ announcement in April – for 90 days while they attempt to hammer out an agreement.
Fried said: “We understand that these tariffs were initially set to balance the trade deficit of foreign goods entering the US, and that tariffs are a commonplace mechanism of international trade. The instability caused, however, by mass tariff implementation, negotiation, and bilateral agreements, as well as inevitable disputes over high rates, has hit our industry, and we need to freeze tariffs, not our ability to trade.
“The expertise of our forwarders is being put to the test, as we are having to find solutions that can be obsolete in a matter of days or weeks.”
He added: “We are ready to work with the Trump administration to support this and most importantly to make sure the U.S. is open for business, both domestically and internationally.”
Airfowarders chief calls for tariff freeze
