Jaguar Freight | The Weekly Roar: Preemptive Measures

In this week’s Roar: China’s trade surplus, what if the Supreme Court rules against tariffs, a slow rebound at the Suez Canal, technology’s place in supply chain strategies, and how communication affects supply chains.

By the end of 2025, China’s trade surplus sat at a record $1.2 trillion, an increase of 20%, mainly due to exports to Africa, Southeast Asia, Europe, and Latin America, offsetting declines to the U.S. This growth was fueled by demand for autos, chips, and electrical goods. While imports stagnated and domestic demand stayed weak, exports kept China’s economy at around 5% growth. Analysts expect export growth to slow, but the surplus to remain elevated in 2026.

On a technical note, the U.S. tariffs on India and Brazil were recently added to the pending Supreme Court tariff case, expanding the revenue involved if the tariffs are reversed. The Trump administration has clarified that if the Supreme Court rules that International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs are illegal, they’ll all be refunded. The goal of their assurance is to preempt further injunctions as the high court reviews the President’s use of IEEPA for broad country-specific tariffs.

Little by little, containership traffic through the Suez Canal is slowly rebounding, with 26 ships transiting in the week ending January 11, the highest in over a month. Major carriers like CMA CGM, MSC, and Maersk are cautiously testing the route, but most carriers remain hesitant, preferring longer detours amid ongoing risks. Hopefully, this is a trend that will accelerate as 2026 continues.

Technology is central to global supply chain strategies, with nearly 40% of companies dedicating over a quarter of their 2026 budgets to tech investments. Top priorities are predictive visibility, AI, cloud, and automation, but in order of importance, cybersecurity is falling behind. By 2030, most logistics leaders expect greater reliance on robotics, but they worry that cybersecurity threats still pose a significant risk to supply chain operations.

Even with investments in AI and other technologies, outdated ways of communicating can remain a bottleneck in supply chains. It’s not a cliché… many companies still rely on faxes and spreadsheets, which cause delays, errors, and mistrust. Effective tech adoption to support better communication requires solid foundations, such as clean data and appropriate digital processes. Without that, new tools simply automate old communication problems instead of actually solving them, so the core issues remain.

For the rest of the week’s top shipping news, check out the article highlights here.