Chinese exporters in one of the world's busiest port cities spoke Thursday of murky horizons as they try to navigate the trade maelstrom unleashed by the ever-changing saga of US tariff policy.
Suppliers in the eastern city of Ningbo -- home to the world's third biggest container port -- have had a wild ride since US President Donald Trump announced sweeping duties on nearly all trading partners in April.
On Wednesday a federal court blocked most of the US tariffs, including ones imposed on China separately using emergency powers, but that news failed to give much solace.
"Due to the Trump administration's appeal, there is uncertainty in tariff policy, so we remain cautious," said Han Zhongkai, an employee at a technology company that makes products like smartwatches.
Exporters at a bustling cross-border trade fair in Ningbo who spoke to AFP said they were stuck in port -- both metaphorically as they surveyed an uncertain future, and in some cases quite literally.
Following Trump's levies announcement in April, Beijing and Washington became enmeshed in a tit-for-tat escalation that saw tariffs soar into triple figures on each side.
"(US clients) stopped ordering. Before this, many foreign customers had already sent their goods to our domestic warehouse and were ready to ship them out," said 28-year-old Li Jie, who works for shipping company Freight Service Limited.
After the tariff increase, "they informed us that -- for the time being -- we should keep the goods in our warehouse".
Hundreds of exporters selling everything from furniture to small electronic devices and baby toys jostled for attention in the expo hall, trying to capture potential clients' attention.
The reciprocal tariffs have already been slashed for 90 days after a meeting between Chinese and US officials in Geneva in May, but uncertainty remains.
"Orders from the United States have essentially been put on hold," said company owner Xiao Chuan, sitting at his booth displaying multicoloured LED neon signs in different languages.
"One order was nearly ready to be placed, but may be delayed due to tariff concerns. Since the recent tariff policy adjustment, (clients) are adopting a wait-and-see approach -– unsure if further changes might occur."