In January, the largest container port in the United States, the Port of Los Angeles, achieved a container throughput of 924,200 TEUs, an 8% year-on-year increase. This marked the busiest month in the Port of Los Angeles' 117-year history.

The January wildfires in Los Angeles did not impact port operations. Import container volume reached approximately 484,000 TEUs, a 9.5% increase year-on-year, with over 327,000 TEUs of empty container transport, showing a 14% increase. Gene Seroka, the Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles, stated, "This typically signals more cargo coming into the port over the next several weeks and months."

He attributed the port's unusually high activity to several factors. In addition to a robust U.S. economy driving high consumption and the impact of labor negotiations at East Coast ports, a major reason is related to tariff policies, with retailers rushing to stock up before the Trump administration's tariffs on China, Mexico, and Canada take effect.

Recently, the U.S. began imposing a 10% tariff on Chinese goods. Many manufacturers are considering moving their factories out of China to save costs, which could potentially further reduce imports from China. Gene Seroka remarked, "China used to represent 57% of our business, but now it's around 45%, and it may continue to decline in the future."

Furthermore, the temporary suspension of the 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico is set to end on March 6. President Trump recently announced plans to impose comprehensive reciprocal tariffs on all U.S. trading partners.