CHINA's industrial profits returned to growth in the first quarter, official data showed but are likely to come under further pressure amid a trade war with the United States.

With Washington's aggressive tariffs threatening to hit China's crucial export engine and no time frame yet for any bilateral trade talks, economists and investors are waiting for the Chinese government to roll out more support measures to cushion the blow to the world's second-largest economy.



Cumulative profits of China's industrial firms rose 0.8 per cent to CNY1.5 trillion (US$205.86 billion) in the first quarter from a year earlier, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data showed, reversing a 0.3 per cent decline in the first two months.



In March alone, profits rose 2.6 per year on year, according to Reuters.



The profit gain in the first quarter followed a 3.3 per cent fall in 2024, reversing the trend of continuous declines in cumulative profits of enterprises since the third quarter of last year, Yu Weining, an NBS statistician, said in a separate statement along with the data release.



Thanks to a consumer goods trade-in campaign, profits in the wearable smart device manufacturing sector soared by 78.8 per cent while those for household kitchen appliance makers rose 21.7 per cent, said the statement.



China reported stronger-than-expected economic growth in the first quarter as government stimulus boosted consumption and supported investment, but deflationary pressures persisted, ripping into corporate profits and workers' incomes as firms tried to navigate rising trade disruptions.



"At the current stage, the external environment is becoming more complex and severe, and unstable and uncertain factors are increasing," said Ms Yu, adding the government will further strengthen policy implementation and promote the continuous improvement of corporate profitability.



The ruling Communist Party's Politburo last week pledged to support firms and workers most affected by the impact of US tariffs, also saying new monetary tools and policy financing instruments will be set up to boost innovation, consumption and foreign trade.

THE Port of Rotterdam and Port of Antwerp-Bruges reported declining cargo volumes in the first quarter of 2025, as both major European maritime hubs navigate challenging global trade conditions and geopolitical uncertainties.

Rotterdam experienced a 5.8 per cent decrease in total throughput, handling 103.7 million tonnes compared to 110.1 million tonnes in Q1 2024. Meanwhile, Antwerp-Bruges saw a 4.0 per cent decline, processing 67.7 million tonnes.



Container performance diverged between the ports. Antwerp-Bruges showed strong growth with a 4.6 per cent increase in tonnage and 4.5 per cent rise in TEU, according to Ventura's gCaptain.



Rotterdam's container throughput grew by 2.2 per cent in TEU but decreased 1.1 per cent in tonnage, primarily due to an 8.1 per cent drop in full container exports.



Notably, Antwerp-Bruges surpassed Rotterdam in terms of TEU throughput, handling 3.4 million TEU compared to Rotterdam's 3.3 million TEU in the first quarter.



"Port of Antwerp-Bruges' market share in the Hamburg-Le Havre Range increased to 30.5 per cent in 2024, and on a global level, the port climbed from 15th to 14th place in the ranking of the largest container ports," the Antwerp-Bruges said in a statement.



However, the transition to new alliances, combined with strikes and congestion at other ports, resulted in longer container dwell times and increased pressure on terminal capacity, the port noted.



Rotterdam's CEO Boudewijn Siemons stressed that "volatility has led to uncertainty among companies in the areas of trade and investment. We see this reflected in throughput volumes and the willingness to invest".



Both ports are closely monitoring US trade relations, with Antwerp-Bruges reporting limited immediate impact from US import duties, while Rotterdam noted that threatened import duties contributed to market volatility.

IMPORTS at the Port of Los Angeles are expected to plunge in the next two weeks, even as negotiations over the final tariffs that China and other countries must pay are still being negotiated by President Trump.

That was the sobering message that port executive director Gene Seroka had for the Los Angeles Board of Harbour Commissioners during an update on port activity, reports Los Angeles Times.



"It's my prediction that in two weeks' time, arrivals will drop by 35 per cent as essentially all shipments out of China for major retailers and manufacturers have ceased, and cargo coming out of Southeast Asia locations is much softer than normal," Mr Seroka told the board.



Figures from Wabtec Corp, which tracks port cargo, predict the slowdown in container volume hitting as soon as this week. That's when seventeen vessels are scheduled to arrive with 85,486 TEU of goods, down 28.6 per cent from last week and 10.5 per cent from last year.



The decline will continue the following week, when 16 vessels are supposed to arrive carrying 74,925 TEU, down nearly 33 per cent from last year, according to Wabtec.



The drop-off follows a period of higher import volume as companies tried to get ahead of the tariffs.



Mr Seroka pointed to the current 145 per cent tariff rate on Chinese goods and the 10 per cent across-the-board tariffs that apply to nearly all nations as suppressing demand from US retailers and manufacturers.



And even though Mr Trump on April 9 announced a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs many nations may have to pay, Mr Seroka said, "that's not a lot of lead time for the industry to make decisions on procurement, manufacturing, locations or sourcing."



"Many major retailers have told us they've got about a six-to-eight-week supply of inventory in their systems now that will quickly dry up," he said. "United States consumers and manufacturers alike will find difficult decisions in the weeks and months to come if policies don't change."



Mr Seroka said he expects exports to be hit even harder. In March, the port moved 123,000 TEU, down 15 per cent from a year earlier - the fourth straight month of decline on a year-over-year basis. He said retaliatory tariffs are hitting agriculture, heavy duty manufacturing and the information technology and services sectors.

TRANSSHIPMENT volumes at the Port of Colombo experienced a decline in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year.

For the first three months ending March 2025, transshipment volumes fell by 6.3 per cent year on year, totalling 1.53 million TEU, down from 1.64 million TEU in the same period last year.



This marks a stark contrast to the robust growth the port experienced during the first and latter parts of 2024, when it benefited from the diversions caused by the disruptions in the Red Sea.



The mainline shipping lines earlier this year pulled some of their services out of Colombo amidst heavy congestion, and those services were yet to return to the Port of Colombo.



On a positive note, in March, transshipment volumes saw a smaller YoY drop of 3.3 per cent compared to February's steeper decline. However, transshipment volumes declined during all three months of this year.



The contribution of transshipment to the port's overall container throughput also decreased, accounting for 79 per cent in the first quarter, compared to 82 per cent during the same period in 2024.



Overall, the Port of Colombo handled a total container throughput of 1.94 million TEU in the first quarter of the year, representing a 3.6 per cent year-on-year decrease from the over 2 million TEU handled in Q1 2024.



Analysing terminal performance for the quarter, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA)-run Jaya Container Terminal (JCT), Unity Container Terminal (UCT), and East Container Terminal (ECT) collectively handled 620,229 TEU, a five per cent year-on-year decline.



The Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT) processed 807,557 TEU, marking a 9.6 per cent year-on-year decrease. In contrast, the South Asia Gateway Terminal (SAGT) saw a 9.2 per cent year-on-year increase, handling 504,790 TEU in the three-month period.

PAKISTAN has welcomed a US$2 billion investment from the global shipping giant Maersk, reports St Petersburg's PortNews.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Robert Maersk, chairman of the AP Moller-Maersk board last week, who was on a business tour in the country.



Mr Sharif hailed the investment as a significant boost to Pakistan's maritime sector, The Maritime Executive of Fort Lauderdale reported.



Maersk initially announced the investment last year in October, during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Denmark and Pakistan on maritime development.



At the time, the MoU was signed by Danish Minister for Industry and Business Morten Bodskov and Pakistani Minister for Maritime Affairs Qaisser Ahmed Shaikh.



Prime Minister Sharif has directed Pakistani authorities to fast-track conversion of the MoU into a formal agreement. He also directed the formation of a technical working group to accelerate the drafting of a maritime collaboration agreement with Maersk, with recommendations to be presented within a month.



"Pakistan has a crucial role as an economic corridor for trade with Central Asia, a key factor for our company. Maersk is committed to modernizing Pakistan's port logistics and equipping them with advanced technology to establish a major maritime trade hub in the region," said Robert Maersk.

FRENCH shipping giant CMA CGM Group has signed a strategic partnership agreement with October Dry Port (ODP) in Cairo, following French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to Egypt, according to the company's release.

The signing occurred in the presence of HE Kamel El Wazir, Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Transport and Industry, according to St Petersburg's PortNews.



CMA CGM will acquire a 35 per cent stake in ODP and enter into a management agreement, becoming an operational partner in the logistics and rail platform's activities and development. The acquisition's completion depends on customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.



ODP, Egypt's first dry port, operates under a public-private partnership with the General Authority for Land and Dry Ports (GALDP) and was funded by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).



Operational since November 2023, ODP is located in the New Industrial Area of 6th of October City, connected to Egypt's seaports, facilitating cargo clearance and reducing port congestion.



CMA CGM will utilise ODP's facilities to provide inland transport, customs clearance, and logistics services across Greater Cairo and Upper Egypt.



The group already manages the Tahya Misr terminal at Alexandria Port, inaugurated in June 2023, and will operate a new terminal at Sokhna Port in 2026.



CMA CGM plans to offer regular round-trip rail services between Alexandria, Ain Sokhna, and Greater Cairo.

HONG Kong International Airport maintained its ranking as the world's busiest air cargo airport for 2024, according to preliminary figures from Airports Council International.

Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Memphis International Airport came in second and third, respectively. The two switched slots from their 2023 ranking, according to PortCalls Asia, Philippines.



The airports in Anchorage, Louisville, Incheon, Miami, Doha, Guangzhou, and Taipei complete the top 10.



Air cargo volumes are estimated to have risen by 8.4 per cent year on year, to over 124 million metric tonnes in 2024. The hike is attributed mostly to strong e-commerce demand, maritime shipping disruptions, and declines in jet fuel prices.



Air cargo volumes in the top 10 airports - representing close to 26 per cent (32.3 million metric tonnes) of the global volumes in 2024 - gained 9.3 per cent in 2024 year over year or a gain of 9.5 per cent compared to 2019 (29.5 million tonnes).



Air cargo traffic was also found to be more concentrated among the main airports, according to ACI, the trade association of the world's airports.



Despite geopolitical and economic challenges, the world's busiest airports held their top rankings, positioning themselves for continued growth, it added.

WORLDWIDE Flight Services (WFS), a SATS company, has strengthened its partnership with Cathay Cargo through new long-term cargo handling contracts at Portland International (PDX) and Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) airports.

This expansion builds upon WFS' established cargo handling services for Cathay Cargo at Boston (BOS), Houston (IAH), and Los Angeles (LAX), along with ground handling operations it provides for Cathay Cargo at New York (JFK) and Houston.



Operations had commenced on March 18 at Portland and April 15 at Dallas Fort Worth, with WFS providing comprehensive cargo handling services that will further enhance operational capabilities and service excellence for Cathay Cargo and its customers across the Americas, reports Singapore's Asian Aviation.



This strategic expansion coincides with Cathay Pacific's upcoming launch of direct passenger flights connecting Hong Kong and Dallas on April 24.



Cathay director cargo, Tom Owen, said: "This expansion provides customers access to WFS's modernised cargo terminal in Portland and dedicated warehouse space in Dallas Fort Worth, complemented by our new four-times-weekly passenger service launching in April.



"Together, we're delivering a seamless one-stop air cargo solution that enhances both service quality and our operational presence across South Central USA."

SAUDIA Cargo and China Cargo Airlines have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will aim to develop interline agreements and capitalise on trade growth between Saudi Arabia and China.

In a press release, the two cargo firms said the agreement aimed to forge a strategic alliance: "The partnership aims to optimise export operations, provide advanced logistics services, and capitalise on growing global market demands, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030 and China's Belt and Road Initiative, ensuring resilient supply chains in today's interconnected world."



Loay Mashabi, chief executive and managing director of Saudia Cargo, said: "This MoU with China Cargo Airlines represents a significant milestone for Saudia Cargo. We are setting our sights on elevating shipping capabilities and broadening our export footprint in the Chinese markets."



Wang Jianmin, president of China Cargo Airlines, added: "We firmly believe that by uniting our strengths and resources, we can generate substantial value for our customers, enhance trade connectivity between Asia and the Middle East."



The two companies will establish an executive team comprised of representatives from both organisations to implement the MoU.

UKRAINE-REGISTERED cargo carrier Supernova Airlines has formalised general sales agent (GSA) partnerships with Alfa Airlines Services in Belgium and AD Aviation in Tel Aviv.

Alfa Airlines Services BV will act as Supernova Airlines' exclusive GSA throughout all European Union member states.



AD Aviation has also been appointed as Supernova' Airlines General Sales Agent for the Israeli market, reports London's Air Cargo News.



Owned by New York-based logistics company Nova Global, Supernova Airlines was established on October 1, 2021, and received a Ukrainian operator's certificate in January 2023.



The airline's Boeing 737-800BDSF was added to its AOC in October last year. According to current Planespotters data, the 737-800SF is the sole aircraft in operation for the airline, but data shows the airline previously had use of an ATR 72.



In October last year, Supernova secured European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval as a Third Country Operator (Part-TCO) in the EU.



Then in November, Supernova carried out the first charter cargo flight on its 737-800BDSF from Budapest to Chisinau.



The airline is hoping to operate scheduled flights to the US in the future and is currently in the process of obtaining operating permits from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA).