As Golden Week approaches in Greater China, we want to remind you of the upcoming holiday period.

The global transport and logistics landscape continues to be plagued by an array of geopolitical impacts that effectively have squashed any hope of stability for the remainder of the year. While temporary US tariffs deals are entered into at a steady pace, the fact remains that uncertainty is ever present, pushing global supply chains into a “stop & go” mode, spiced with occasional demand catch up effects.

As much as we prefer to bring positive news to our readers within the global logistics and transportation space, this is becoming increasingly difficult due to a new global trade world order. Globe trade principles and underlying geopolitical dynamics have been subject to an array of earthquakes during the last months, triggered by the US administration's fundamentally new foreign trade policy.

Great Britain (“GB”) officially left the European Union (“EU”) on 31 January 2020, and we are now in an 11-month transition period until 31 December 2020, where the current EU rules will continue to remain in force. This means that GB will remain in the EU’s customs union and the single market and obey to EU rules. All companies will therefore first feel the effects of Brexit on 01 January 2021.

The start of 2025 signaled some relief for shippers around the world, with the US East and Gulf Coast port strike having been averted and Houthi rebels announcing a ceasefire in the Red Sea, prompting hopes of a long-awaited return to Suez Canal passage.