U.S. import demand is stronger than ever as inventory-to-sales ratios remain painfully low. Yet there’s rising risk to shipping volumes on the supply side of the equation: Most American containerized imports come from China and elsewhere in Asia, where the delta variant is spreading.
Delta variant cases have now been reported in 15 Chinese provinces, and the wide geographic spread of the latest outbreak — from the southern province of Hainan to Beijing in north China — is presenting a major challenge to authorities’ strategy of attempting to completely eliminate the virus.