Exporters to US tread warily as tariff uncertainties linger

WHEN she heard the news that Washington had slashed punitive tariffs on China for at least 90 days, Deng Jin-ling, manager of a Chinese company that exports thermos flasks to the US, popped open a bottle of champagne with her husband.

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While Deng celebrated the reprieve with bubbles, she worries about what might happen after 90 days, and has sent her 20-year-old daughter to the US to help scout for a warehouse there to mitigate risks.

"My biggest worry is Trump will forget tomorrow what he said today," said Deng, manager of Lucky Bird Trade, based in the export manufacturing hub of Yiwu, the world's largest wholesale hub for small manufactured items, referring to US President Donald Trump.

Chinese factories are heavily dependent on the US market, but manufacturers in China have buckled up, uncertain on how to navigate an increasingly unpredictable trade war that has threatened to upend global supply chains - and the uncertainty prevails despite the temporary truce.