In Shuitou, China, on Thursday, April 10, dozens of manufacturers received this terse email from Maersk, the shipping giant: "Due to the impact of customs barriers between China and the United States, client xx [the name of the importing chain has been anonymized] has decided to suspend its cargo delivery until further notice, effective immediately. No container should be shipped to its port terminal. Those in the process of being filled must be emptied immediately."

The 145% tariffs decreed that day by the White House struck a severe blow to this small factory town in eastern China, in Zhejiang province, almost entirely focused on exporting items for cats and dogs. According to a 2023 article in the Chinese magazine Sixth Tone, four out of five American pet owners have a leash or toy made in Shuitou.

For 15 years, this city of 120,000 inhabitants has followed the rhythm of product trends for American and European cats and dogs. This was a radical shift after 30 years in the leather industry that came to a sudden end. In August 2003, Shuitou was listed among the 10 most polluted sites in China. The culprit: its tanning industry, whose wastewater full of chromium was carelessly discharged into the river. Nearby crops suffered, new diseases appeared and young men failed physical tests for military entry. Pressed to act, local authorities closed nearly a thousand family-run tanneries. Only eight of the largest survived after implementing strict compliance measures.

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