US homeowners bear brunt of tariffs: Chinese suppliers

美国加征关税反噬本土房主 中国供应商承压

On April 2, the day when the US administration announced its so-called "reciprocal tariffs" affecting more than 180 countries and regions around the world, a merchant surnamed Xiong from Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, felt perplexed.

美国政府4月2日宣布对全球180多国加征所谓“等价关税”，同日，浙江省杭州市的熊姓商人对此感到困惑。

"It is hard to tell how the tariffs will impact our business and like many others we have drawn up backup plans," said Xiong, general manager of a construction company which operates a customized summer house construction business.

“关税将如何影响我们的生意很难说，像许多其他人一样，我们已经制定了计划去抵制风险，”一家经营定制避暑别墅建筑业务的建筑公司总经理熊说。

However, while Xiong was worried about the potential impact of the tariffs on his business, he got an invitation. "On this very day, we actually received an invitation from a client based in Boston to conduct an on-site survey at the latter's ski resort, and if this deal is finalized, it will generate $2 million in revenue for us," Xiong said.

然而，就在熊担心关税对其业务的潜在影响时，他收到了邀请。“就在同一天，我们接到波士顿客户的邀请，去他们的滑雪场实地考察。如果合作达成，我们将获得200万美元收入。”熊表示。

As Xiong flew to meet his client, whose company had booked his flight, he asked, "are you not concerned about the tariffs?"

熊乘客户公司预订的航班赴约时问道：“你们不担心关税影响吗？

Passing on costs

转嫁成本

Xiong said his client told him that "life has to continue even with the tariff, and having no revenue at the ski resort is unacceptable... the only way is to swallow the tariff first and then eventually pass on the increased costs to visitors to the resort, through ways such as higher administration fees."

熊转述客户的话：“即便有关税，生意也得做下去，滑雪场不能没有收入……我们只能先自行承担成本，再通过上调管理费等手段，将涨价压力转移给游客。”

Xiong's experience on what US officials call "Liberation Day" is just one example illustrating the resilience of mutually beneficial trade flow and business ties between American and Chinese companies in the area of residential and commercial building and maintenance.

熊在美国官员戏称的“关税生效日”的经历，正是中美企业在住宅与商业建筑维护领域贸易韧性的缩影。

Several Chinese suppliers have also seen the negative impact of the hefty tariffs imposed by the US on the sector; however, the impact will mostly be felt by US consumers, as the tariffs will add up the building cost for American homes and lower Americans' living standards.

尽管中国供应商已受到美国高额关税的冲击，但最终承受代价的仍是美国消费者——关税会推高住宅建造成本，进而拉低民众生活水平。

Although large portion of US home building materials come from Canada and Mexico, industry players pointed out that tariffs on a wide variety of goods from China will also inevitably increase costs in the US home building and construction sector.

尽管美国住宅建筑材料主要来自加拿大和墨西哥，但业内人士指出，对中国商品加征关税仍将推高美国住宅建筑行业成本。"

The US administration has imposed 145 percent tariffs on Chinese goods and 10 percent tariffs on imports from most other countries. The tariffs will affect Chinese products essential to the US home building and construction sector. From lawn mowers to DIY toolboxes, US homeowners will face higher prices due to the tariffs, several representatives from Chinese suppliers said.

美国政府对中国商品征收145%的关税，对大多数其他国家的进口商品征收10%的关税。关税将影响对美国住宅建筑行业至关重要的中国产品。中国供应商的几位代表表示，从割草机到DIY工具箱，美国房主将因关税而面临更高的价格。

China is a major supplier of many key materials for the US construction industry, Ye Wen, owner of a home building materials company based in South China's Guangdong Province, told the Global Times.

中国是美国建筑业许多关键材料的主要供应国，中国南方广东省一家家居建材公司的老板叶文告诉《环球时报》。

"From my observation and information gathered from expo clients, 'Made in China' fasteners (nails and screws), LED lighting, and decorative building materials accounted for nearly half the US market share," Ye said.

“根据我的观察和从世博会客户那里收集的信息，‘中国制造’的紧固件（钉子和螺丝）、LED照明和装饰建筑材料占据了近一半的美国市场份额，”叶说。

Despite additional costs resulting from the tariffs, Chinese products remain the top choice for the US purchasing managers due to their stable quality, comprehensive supply chain advantages, and responsiveness, Ye said.

叶说，尽管关税带来了额外的成本，但由于中国产品稳定的质量、全面的供应链优势和响应能力，中国产品仍然是美国采购经理的首选。

Zhong Shangtian, another owner of a home construction company based in Guangdong, told the Global Times that in addition to bolts and nuts, and hardware accessories, the US is heavily reliant on Chinese-made drywall, timber and wood products such as plywood and magnesium oxide wallboard, a newer type of home building material, for which the US heavily relies on Chinese producers.

广东一家家居建筑公司的另一位老板钟尚田告诉《环球时报》，除了螺栓和螺母以及五金配件，美国还严重依赖中国制造的干墙、木材和木制品，如胶合板和氧化镁墙板，这是一种新型的家居建筑材料，美国严重依赖中国生产商。

It is true that many of these products can be and are produced in the US, or Canada, but low-cost offerings from China remain something that US builders rely on... "just imagine the cost benefits if we are talking about large residential district or commercial projects," Zhong said. "To block Chinese-made goods is to rob this cost-effective option from homebuyers."

诚然，这些产品中有许多可以而且确实在美国或加拿大生产，但来自中国的低成本产品仍然是美国建筑商所依赖的...“想象一下，如果我们谈论的是大型住宅区或商业项目，成本效益，”钟说。“封杀中国制造的商品，就是从购房者手中抢走这一高性价比的选择。”

Meanwhile, Chinese companies have been actively coping with the US tariffs. Chinese suppliers interviewed by the Global Times said that they have worked on ways to diversify their markets, such as making new entries into the ASEAN and European markets, as the US tariffs eroded some of the market demand. None of them is willing to eat the tariffs as it is far beyond their margin and their products can find a buyer in other markets.

与此同时，中国企业一直在积极应对美国的关税。接受《环球时报》采访的中国供应商表示，由于美国关税侵蚀了部分市场需求，他们一直在研究实现市场多元化的方法，例如新进入东盟和欧洲市场。他们中没有人愿意承担关税，因为这远远超出了他们的利润，而且他们的产品可以在其他市场找到买家。

Diminished outlook

前景黯淡

These warnings coincided with an estimate from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), a US industry association, which pegged the typical cost impact of recent tariffs at $10,900 per home, despite ongoing fluctuations in the US tariff policy since early April.

这些警告与美国行业协会全国住宅建筑商协会(NAHB)的估计不谋而合，该协会将近期关税的典型成本影响定为每套房屋10,900美元，尽管自4月初以来美国关税政策持续波动。

The duties in place on imported steel, aluminum, and other metals have already driven up prices, including for essential supplies like nails, screws, bolts, and fasteners that builders use by the millions, according to New York-based US business media outlet Inc.com.

据总部位于纽约的美国商业媒体报道，对进口钢、铝和其他金属征收的关税已经推高了价格，包括数百万建筑商使用的钉子、螺钉、螺栓和紧固件等基本用品的价格。

"There is virtually no short-term replacement of 'Made in China' goods, due to Chinese manufacturers' production capacity, technological sophistication, and supply chain stability that guarantee project progress," Ye said.

叶说：“由于中国制造商的生产能力、技术先进程度和供应链稳定性保证了项目进展，短期内几乎没有‘中国制造’商品的替代品。”

"Looking down the pipeline, I think housing accessibility in the US will be compromised because of the sweeping tariffs, new home prices will rise in particular, some developers will choose to delay the projects, and middle- and low-income American households and first-time homebuyers will bear the brunt of it," Ye said.

“展望未来，我认为美国的住房负担能力将因全面关税而受到损害，尤其是新房价格将上涨，一些开发商将选择推迟项目，中低收入美国家庭和首次购房者将首当其冲，”叶说。

The NAHB estimates that $204 billion worth of goods were used in the construction of both new multifamily and single-family housing in 2024, and approximately 7 percent of all goods used in new residential construction are sourced from foreign countries.

NAHB估计，到2024年，新的多户住宅和单户住宅的建设将使用价值2040亿美元的商品，新住宅建设中使用的所有商品中约有7%来自国外。

Overall, builders estimate that recent tariffs have added an average of $10,900 to the cost of each new home, according to the NAHB, citing data from an April survey conducted with the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index. This came on top of a 34 percent rise in the cost of building materials since December 2020, which is far higher than the rate of inflation, the NAHB said.

NAHB援引NAHB/富国银行住房市场指数4月份进行的调查数据称，总体而言，建筑商估计最近的关税使每套新房的成本平均增加了10,900美元。NAHB表示，自2020年12月以来，建筑材料成本上涨了34%，远高于通货膨胀率。

Anirban Basu, chief economist at US industry body Associated Builders and Contractors, told Inc.com that "these tariffs have already materially diminished the outlook for construction activity in 2025."

美国行业机构建筑商和承包商协会首席经济学家阿尼班·巴苏(Anirban Basu)告诉Inc.com，“这些关税已经大大削弱了2025年建筑活动的前景。”