China trade ties carry significant weight for US West Coast ports

At the Port of Los Angeles, ties with China are similarly deep. Gene Seroka, the port's executive director, said China accounts for approximately 40 percent of its business, more than two and a half times that of its next-largest trading partner.

"China remains a critically important trading partner for the Port of Los Angeles, and our longstanding relationships with Chinese ports have opened the door to cooperation that goes well beyond moving cargo," Seroka said.

Trade with China remains central to both ports. A more stable bilateral relationship would help protect cargo flows, jobs and consumer supply chains. China is also one of the leading export markets for California goods, Hacegaba said.

Beyond cargo volumes, the ports are expanding cooperation with Chinese counterparts in areas including cleaner shipping, digitalization and supply-chain resilience.

Seroka cited work with the ports of Shanghai, Guangzhou and, more recently, Shenzhen on green shipping corridors and other initiatives aimed at cutting emissions and making global trade more efficient and resilient.

"These port-to-port partnerships are a good example of how practical cooperation can deliver meaningful benefits on both sides of the Pacific," he said.

As the Port of Los Angeles handles more than 10 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) annually, while the Port of Long Beach processed a record 9.9 million TEUs in 2025, the scale of the two ports underscores the wider economic stakes.

Together, they handled about 31 percent of US containerized international waterborne trade in 2025 and support 2.4 million jobs nationwide.