Port of Oakland braces for tariff impacts on key trading partners

The Port of Oakland, a vital bridge between the U.S. and its largest trading partners, especially China, faces a rapidly changing landscape of tariffs and stiff winds from an unpredictable Trump administration.

On Thursday, at a meeting at the port’s headquarters, port officials, business owners, a representative of the longshoremen’s union and Rep. Lateefah Simon aired concerns about how they could weather the administration’s erratic moves — implementing tariffs, cutting tariffs, delaying tariffs, raising tariffs.

Simon, a civil rights advocate who has represented California’s 12th congressional district since January, offered a blistering rebuke of President Donald Trump’s trade policies on key allies, saying he has created a “no-win situation” for the U.S. and global economy, which threatens to have devastating effects on the region’s job market, housing development and health care services. Already, shipments of equipment to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland have been delayed, according to Adam Masters, a business representative from SMART, SMW Local Union No. 104.

“There’s a real potentiality of workers losing their jobs, but we cannot have a poorer, sicker California,” Simon said, comparing her district’s largest city to a patient in a hospital. “If there were no tariffs, Oakland would be in the emergency room. Hospice is terminal, but we’re in ICU. We have to convince businesses to stay here.”

The Port of Oakland handles 99% of all shipments into Northern California. The most important of these trading partners is China, which represents 48% of all imports and 7% of all exports at the port.

China currently faces a 145% tariff on U.S. imports as a trade war between the world’s two largest economies has escalated over the past two months. Trump asserted this past week that the two countries were in active negotiations to create a new trade deal. Chinese officials, however, have repudiated the president’s claims about negotiations and called for an end to unilateral tariffs.

The port’s two largest receivers of goods, Japan and South Korea, were among the first countries to enter discussions with Trump to lower tariffs. Japan is responsible for 15% of all exports from the Port of Oakland, while South Korea adds an additional 11% of exports. Japan faces a 24% tariff on its goods while South Korea faces a 25% tariff.

Prior to Thursday’s meeting, the Port of Oakland announced a 6.3% year-over-year increase in container volume, representing a total of imports and exports, buoyed in the first quarter of 2025 as businesses rushed to push through goods before further tariffs were enacted. The port reported a 7.2% rise in shipping volume in March compared to the same time period last year. But the increased trade is expected to be short-lived as port officials estimate a 10% contraction in trade volume for the rest of the year.

Port of Oakland Executive Director Kristi McKenney said that without clear answers about the desired outcomes of Trump’s economic policies, many are left in limbo about the best move forward.

“What we don’t want is chaos. We want clarity around where we’re going,” McKenney said. “It’s terribly important that, as we move forward, we have an understanding so that these tariffs don’t have all those negative impacts and can be used for an ultimate common good outcome.”

In recent months, the whipsaw of tariffs has challenged Bay Area business owners who rely on stable costs and international trade. Stephanie Tran, president of Oakland’s Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, who also runs her own small business, Town Print Shop, said tariffs are a looming threat to many companies still recovering from the pandemic.

“Our small mom-and-pop businesses are going to be forced to either absorb those costs, increase prices or even pull goods off the shelf,” Tran said. “It’s really, really important at this time for the community to continue to support small businesses, because small businesses are the heart of our community.”

Port of Oakland Maritime Director Bryan Brandes said he was “encouraged” about the rise in cargo volume in the first quarter of 2025, but said the port would continue to monitor international trade relations while it focuses on its facilities and community partners.

“We’re mindful of evolving trade policy discussions and potential tariff actions that will affect the broader market,” Brandes said in a statement. “We remain committed to providing reliable service, maintaining strong infrastructure, and working closely with our partners to navigate whatever lies ahead.”