It is a familiar and dear scene on millions of people from the United States: snowfall and Christmas music while families decorate their homes with Christmas lights, socks and a star in the top of the tree.
But a few of them know exactly where these iconic Christmas elements come from.
Most of the time, they come from only one city in Zhejiang Province, China: Yiwo, nicknamed “Christmas City”, which almost provides 90 % of all decorative articles Christmas used in USAAccording to the government media.
Many of these products can be tracked to the wholesale Yiwu market – the largest in the world.
It is a maze complex. Inside, foreign buyers travel to narrow corridors full of commodities, starting from the Santa Claus musical dolls that play the piano to artificial Christmas trees – as well as many other elements of American homes, including hats, massage pistols, and foldable camp chairs.
But now there is a series of inherent anxiety. These suppliers on the front line of global trade – and now they are in the three -definition scenes imposed by President Donald Trump, who have shocked all over the world and disturbed the relations that were built over decades between the United States and China, and two great economic powers.
The general definitions of the United States over China now exceed 145 %, the largest commercial sanctions imposed by the United States in almost a century.
For many traders, the measures were cost customer measures, their profits and forced them to deport to other markets.
When a CNN He visited the market earlier this week, and many expressed their concern and confusion about Trump’s actions, as well as the desire for a peaceful solution with the restoration of the ruins of their intermittent business.
“Some of our customers have long stopped negotiating with us and we are all very sad,” said Ran Hungan, 43, who was selling Christmas decorations for 15 years.
After imposing definitions, she tried to present a discount to her American customers to save business, but she did not succeed. She said that eight out of ten canceled their contracts this year, which represents a loss of more than $ 135,000.
Ran said that American exports were only part of his total customers, but they were not just numbers on the screen. Many partners have long been.
I met an American agent at a commercial exhibition in China years ago, and they worked together for nearly a decade; He even traveled to visit its factory, as the products were produced.
“Because of the case of the taxi, he said he had no choice but to cancel this year and know what is happening later,” she told the newspaper. CNNAmid rows of stuffed reindeer and the luxurious festive bears in their small store. “We have worked together for a long time.”
“Tarify” already changes publicly in Yiwu
He said that many President Trump’s introductory speech revolves around restoring jobs in American factories that were destroyed through bad business agreements.
But it is difficult to imagine a future in which the exposed product type in Yiwu can be done by American hands – unless consumers are ready to pay more for something everywhere and cheap at the present time like Christmas jewelry.
The second largest source of Christmas decorations for the United States is Cambodia, where factories salaries are less than China, but Trump also imposed 49 % of Southeast Asian small rates before the 90 -day break.
Yiwu is relatively small for Chinese standards, where there are less than two million people, but it has a large presence in global trade.
Last year, he sent $ 81 billion of goods abroad, including about $ 11.5 billion in the United States, according to local customs data.
This huge impact is evident from the moment it lands in the city. When landing from the plane, the airport’s internal bridge is full of English ads that say, “Chinese products! Doing global business in Yiwu!”
When a CNN He visited the wholesale market, was still sealing the activity. After all, the United States is the only one that applies global definitions to the second largest economy in the world.
The multi -storey and mass complex features different types of products on each floor, with cafes and tents of snacks spread everywhere. Wherever you look, there is an explosion of color and sound, with about 70,000 crowds crowds, according to the local authorities.
But the escalation of the trade war already leaves its mark.
A CNN Buyers from many countries that examine the stalls and negotiate contracts with the sellers noticed, but there was no single American on the horizon.
The tenants were also tense – many refused to speak and were cautious about the distribution of the local Chinese authorities in the market.
Even suppliers who do not sell to the United States are tense.
Trump may have postponed the mutual definitions that are known for this on other countries alongside China, which prompted many to their contracted suspension, but negotiations are still ongoing and there is no way to see if the declared definitions can be restored.
Many economists warn that global recession is still happening if the trade war continues.
The shuttle means that global economies are still constantly changing, as consumers may pressure the wallet strings and re -evaluate them as they spend their money.
This can mean serious problems for Yiwu residents, whose livelihood depends on foreign customers, especially on Christmas Eve.
Li Xinyao has worked in his family’s artificial flower work in the Yiwu market since its foundation in 1993, where plastic bouquets have been sold with roses, sunflowers, muds and more.
Although they are not currently American agents, their revenues have not been affected since the beginning of the trade war.
“Although we believe that China will improve (recovery), the United States is still the best country in the world and the richest,” she said.
“The Americans always affect the world. When they start the work of work, everyone will worry about it, and our customers (requests) may keep.”
She said that the global economy can also harm your sales, because motifs, such as plastic flowers, can be the first to be cut by customers who need to reduce spending.
“If we are not able to lead a happy life, then who is interested in decorations?” I asked.
Change
For many other suppliers, whose customer base is concentrated in the United States, Trump’s trade war now means that they will need to search for other opportunities.
Somehow, this change occurred for years at the national level. The idea of disintegration has been discussed, a scenario in which two countries did not have trade or investment, in the American -Chinese circles for years, although this historical rupture had huge suffering for both economies deeply interconnected.
Tensions have increased since the American war and China during the first period of Trump, and China was preparing with pleasure for a confrontation in the following years.
Since 2018, Beijing has diversified his supply chains and expanded trade relations with the rest of the world, which reduces the participation of American exports.
China’s exports to the United States represented 19.2 % of total transfers abroad in 2018 – but it decreased to 14.7 % in 2024, according to official data.
This means that China now depends on American companies less than before, a position adopted by Yiwu sales representatives as well.
“Now, I take all the goods that my clients keep in the United States to the European Union Road. I will send all these goods to our European Union agents,” said Ni Zain, 39, a Halloween decoration seller.
Up to half of his exports used to go to the United States. Like Ran, she cultivated working relations with “old clients for several years”. But now, many of these requests have been suspended, although they were negotiated before announcing the definitions.
Although its sales have decreased “significantly”, they were optimistic about other options.
“I still have the local market and the European Union market. I also do international assembly online,” she said, noting that I also have international online assembly online, “noting the walls of the ghost and giant ghosts and giant eyes around it.
“Last year, we have already started dropping the products we can sell () to the Chinese local market.”
Some sellers praised China’s response to the trade war, echoing its China’s social media feelings, as users online expressed their anger from the United States and supported the Beijing website against Trump’s tariff.
Last week, Beijing increased the rates of American products to 125 %, as Chinese leader Xi Jinping said his nation “was not afraid.”
The authorities indicated that Beijing will not increase rates because it will not make sense to continue to increase. “Our government is well afflicted with these things,” he told me, a counter -flower seller.
But this does not reduce their fear, as they prepare to influence and anxiety about what the trade war can mean for Yiwu and the families that live there.
Li, the plastic flower seller is interested in how the world’s condition affects her six daughter who was “every day”, adding that the Chinese “always care about the next generation.”
Even being confirmed to history, it is still confused about the reason for Trump launching such a trade war first.
“We want world peace. In my opinion, I really don’t understand why they did this,” she said.
She and the other suppliers expressed their hope that the leaders of both countries will reach a deal and end up with the revenge definitions that covered their lives and actions in the event of uncertainty.
But with the withdrawal of trade war, it is not clear whether this relationship may be fixed – or if it will be the same again, even if the suppliers eventually sell again to their customers for a long time.
For some, the damage has already occurred.
“When we make daily purchases, if we want to buy a bag or buy some daily needs, we are now starting to think about whether these products were imported from the United States,” said Ran, a Christmas decorative seller.
And if these products are manufactured in the United States: “I will definitely choose not to buy them.”