The Trump administration’s latest escalation of the trade war with China has drawn several parallels to its origins back in 2018.
However, there is a significant difference: the degree to which U.S. companies looked to avoid rising tariffs by racing to bring in more and more products from China ahead of them.
When comparing the peak of frontloading that occurred in 2018 compared to 2025, U.S. shippers imported more than double the percentage of Chinese exports this year, according to data from ImportGenius.
To compare the differences, CNBC used data from ImportGenius that dates back to 2016 prior to the Trump trade war rhetoric.
In 2025, there have been three major frontloading events as a result of the changing tariffs.
