Container volumes from ten major Asian countries to the United States reached 1.65 million TEUs in January, marking a 15.6% increase compared to the previous year, while overall US imports amounted to 2.27 million TEUs, showing a 9.9% year-on-year growth.
According to JIFFA (Japan International Freight Forwarders Association Inc.), among these imports, shipments from China constituted the largest portion, totalling 979,359 TEUs, reflecting a 19.9% increase from the previous year. South Korea ranked second with a 22% jump to 192,399 TEUs, followed by Vietnam with a 21.6% increase to 153,949 TEUs.
Meanwhile, imports from Taiwan grew by 4.3% to 77,043 TEUs, while those from Singapore decreased by 7.6% to 61,871 TEUs, placing it at the bottom of the top five. Notably, imports from Japan surged by 42% to 33,779 TEUs, securing the eighth position.
Analyzing the fluctuations in container imports to the US from China and four Southeast Asian nations (Vietnam, India, Thailand, and Malaysia) before and after the coronavirus pandemic reveals interesting trends.
In 2019, container imports from China, including those from Hong Kong and transshipped via South Korea, totalled 10.87 million TEUs, experiencing a slight decrease to 10.85 million TEUs in 2023.
Conversely, imports from the four Southeast Asian nations combined amounted to 2.19 million TEUs in 2019, witnessing a substantial 43.6% surge to 3.14 million TEUs in 2023.
