Walmart, Target resume business with some Chinese factories after tariff-related halt, suppliers say

Walmart and Target have resumed business with some of their Chinese suppliers, after pausing orders for a few weeks due to uncertainties over the imposition of steep US tariffs, two Chinese factories have told CNN.

Walmart and Target have resumed business with some of their Chinese suppliers, after pausing orders for a few weeks due to uncertainties over the imposition of steep US tariffs, two Chinese factories have told CNN. The resumption came days after a meeting last week between US President Donald Trump and the heads of retail giants Walmart, Target, Lowe’s and Home Depot — who warned the president that store shelves across America could soon be empty. The resumption of business, even if partial, suggests retailers are attempting to ensure their stores remain stocked as tariffs threaten to disrupt their supply chains, which are crucial to their own bottom lines as well as to the survival of thousands of factories in China. Trump’s 145% levies on Chinese goods have led many American retailers, both large and small, to suspend or cancel outright previous agreements with their suppliers in the country. The two that spoke to CNN said they supplied to Walmart and Target, respectively, and that previous orders had been in limbo for weeks. The scope of the suspension, as well as the level of resumption, is unclear. CNN has reached out to Walmart and Target for comment. China and the United States, the world’s two largest economies, remain locked in a trade war with no clear off-ramp. Both are refusing to back down from the sky-high tariffs they have imposed on each other, with no sign of trade talks on the horizon.