Tariffs Take a Toll on New York's Chinatown

In New York's Chinatown, Christina Seid has run her family's ice cream shop for nearly half a century. Despite using local ingredients, the shop faces challenges due to various costs. The cups themselves have a long journey before reaching her store.

"Our cup manufacturer — they are based in California, but then they are printed in Taiwan," Seid said.

The impact of tariffs on China is not limited to just the cups. Merchandise, utensils, and boxes for her ice cream cakes are all affected. Seid's distributors have already started adjusting prices.

"They're trying to keep the prices low, but at the same time, because we've done business with them for a long time, we also have to be understanding, because if they have big price increases, we expect it to be passed down to us. We can't be unreasonable," Seid said.

President Trump has maintained tariffs on China, increasing rates from 34% to 145%, while reducing tariffs for other countries to 10%. Some in Chinatown's immigrant community have noticed the impact.

"I feel targeted," said Jen, a business owner. She runs a store selling Chinese merchandise and has increased prices on some goods but not on more popular items she wants her customers to be able to afford.

M.D. Ali, another business owner, has seen at least 60% of his products affected. Some distributors have increased his pricing by as much as 30%. "I already raised the price because they're gonna charge me more. Of course, I'm gonna charge more for my customer," Ali said.

Ali notes that he's still losing money because he hasn't yet increased prices for his customers as much as they've been increased for him. He hopes to settle the trade war before it affects more businesses and customers.