Chinese printing factories flock to US as tariffs shake up e-commerce sector
Chinese print-on-demand facilities play a vital role in the fast-fashion supply chain. Now, hundreds are relocating to America
In late 2023, Kent Liu finally decided to take a leap of faith: it was time to move his customised printing business from China to the United States.
Liu felt he needed to make a change. For years, his company had made money by printing T-shirts, hats and other apparel in China for a range of clients, which were then shipped to the United States.
But that model was increasingly under threat. In 2018, America raised tariffs on Chinese goods, and tensions between the two powers had continued to rise over the following five years.
“If I don’t go,” Liu recalled thinking at the time, “I might fall behind the times.”
Liu’s instinct proved to be correct. Just a year after he founded his new business, Digiprint America, US President Donald Trump returned to office and launched a fresh tariff blitz targeting China and a host of other major export hubs.
The new production lines in California and New Jersey were insulated from the crippling new import duties, helping Liu’s business ride out the trade war. His orders remain strong and he is even planning to open an extra facility in Atlanta.