Straight From Shanghai: China's Shipping and Air Cargo Read

Mike King is in Shanghai for Air Cargo China, and he sat down with Kathy Liu, VP global sales and marketing at Dimerco Express Group, for a fast read on what is really moving across ocean and air. Container rates have climbed since March, and Kathy explains the mix behind it: vessels tied up by Middle East disruption, a shortage of empty boxes at key Asian origins, and shippers front-loading ahead of tariff deadlines. Peak season has arrived early on the transpacific, though underlying demand is flat, so it may fade early too. She maps where congestion has moved, from an automated Shanghai that is coping to multi-day berth waits at Nhava Sheva, Colombo and Singapore. On air cargo, the AI and data centre boom is rewriting the map. Taiwan to US capacity is tight and rates are high, a run Kathy expects to last three to five years. Components are being pulled towards AI builds ahead of laptops and PCs, which points to a consumer electronics squeeze later in the year. She closes on the sourcing shift into Mexico, Vietnam and West Africa, and why Chinese companies still hold most of the freight decisions. Her advice for shippers: stay agile, and watch the market daily. #Shipping #AirCargo #SupplyChain #Freight #ContainerShipping Timestamped show notes 00:00 Live from Dimerco's Shanghai office, ahead of Air Cargo China 01:00 Dimerco's China footprint: 70-plus offices, air, ocean, customs and bonded 01:30 Why ocean rates have soared since March 02:30 The empty container shortage at Asian origins 03:30 Fuel surcharges, transit times, and shippers switching to sea-air and cross-border trucking 04:30 An early peak season, but flat underlying demand 05:30 Port congestion: Shanghai coping, Nhava Sheva, Colombo and Singapore not 06:30 The Red Sea and Hormuz knock-on for congestion 07:00 Carrier consolidation and what shippers actually care about 08:00 EU de minimis ends, and why e-commerce volumes are holding 09:30 The AI and data centre boom driving air cargo 11:00 Taiwan to US capacity crunch, and components diverted from laptops 13:00 Is this structural or a spike? Kathy's three to five year view 14:30 Sourcing shifts into Mexico, Vietnam and West Africa 16:00 Why Chinese companies still control the freight 17:00 Kathy's advice for shippers in a black swan market