Landmark US Chinatown survived Covid, anti-Asian violence – but tariffs pose new threat
While many of the shoppers are Chinese, a considerable number could come from anywhere – a sign that Chinatown draws people from the wider San Francisco Bay Area.
Despite signs of a recovery since the Covid-19 pandemic and a concurrent wave of
anti-Asian violence , businesses report that tariff-induced price hikes on their goods this year – ranging from 20 to 50 per cent – have stalled growth in the 170-year-old district, founded by early Cantonese immigrants.
Some of the nearly 300 merchants in the 35-square-block district acknowledge a steady stream of customers – but note that spending has dropped on the likes of ginseng, dried mushrooms, tea leaves and furniture imported from China.
A-li Huang, who has run Long Fa supermarket for 29 years, said costs have risen by an average of 50 per cent due to the tariffs. Customers keep coming but buy less to save money, she said.
'If you used to buy three cans of something, now you buy two,' Huang said from her pavement perch surrounded by tubs of green vegetables and elaborately packaged foods.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
11 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Landmark US Chinatown survived Covid, anti-Asian violence – but tariffs pose new threat
Oakland Chinatown, one of the oldest in the United States, almost feels as lively as Hong Kong on a busy afternoon. Shoppers squeeze along narrow pavements lined with hanging lanterns and sacks of oranges, while a variety store welcomes customers with racks of clothing and slippers. While many of the shoppers are Chinese, a considerable number could come from anywhere – a sign that Chinatown draws people from the wider San Francisco Bay Area. Despite signs of a recovery since the Covid-19 pandemic and a concurrent wave of anti-Asian violence , businesses report that tariff-induced price hikes on their goods this year – ranging from 20 to 50 per cent – have stalled growth in the 170-year-old district, founded by early Cantonese immigrants. Some of the nearly 300 merchants in the 35-square-block district acknowledge a steady stream of customers – but note that spending has dropped on the likes of ginseng, dried mushrooms, tea leaves and furniture imported from China. A-li Huang, who has run Long Fa supermarket for 29 years, said costs have risen by an average of 50 per cent due to the tariffs. Customers keep coming but buy less to save money, she said. 'If you used to buy three cans of something, now you buy two,' Huang said from her pavement perch surrounded by tubs of green vegetables and elaborately packaged foods.
South China Morning Post
13 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Tesla executive says EV maker in ‘big swing moment' with autonomy, robotaxis, Optimus
Tesla engineering executive Lars Moravy said the company is in a 'big swing moment' with its forthcoming products as he gave a wide-ranging talk at a San Francisco Bay area gathering of customers and retail investors. Moravy, Tesla's vice-president of vehicle engineering, said he's personally most excited about Semi truck – built at the company's factory near Reno, Nevada – and called it key to the company's mission. He spoke at the 'X Takeover,' a day-long event in San Mateo on Saturday. 'We take big swings, and sometimes that risk can come with a lot of downside,' said Moravy, who has been with Tesla for over 15 years. 'We're in a big swing moment right now with autonomy, Robotaxis, with Optimus [humanoid robots] and with Semi.' Previous 'Tesla Takeover' events, sponsored by the Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley club, focused on the electric vehicle (EV) maker. This year's gathering, which drew scores of long-time Elon Musk fans, expanded to encompass SpaceX and the other companies in Musk's overlapping business empire. Musk also spoke via video conference. A Tesla robotaxi on the street along South Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas, on June 22, 2025. Photo: Reuters Moravy's appearance and remarks served as a rallying cry for fans of Tesla and Musk in the face of severe challenges across the core automotive business. Tesla is losing market share as sales of its ageing lineup fall in key markets around the world. That includes California, its former home where sales have declined for the last seven quarters.
HKFP
7 days ago
- HKFP
China confirms US bank employee banned from leaving over ‘criminal case'
Beijing confirmed Monday that an employee of US bank Wells Fargo was barred from leaving China, following reports last week that Shanghai-born managing director Chenyue Mao was under an exit ban. After multiple media reports, Wells Fargo confirmed last week that it was providing assistance to the Atlanta-based Mao, who entered China in recent weeks but is now unable to leave. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Monday that Mao was 'involved in a criminal case currently being investigated by the Chinese authorities'. 'The Chinese law enforcement agencies have imposed exit restrictions in accordance with the law,' Guo said. He did not give details of Mao's alleged offences, and Wells Fargo has not provided more information on her case. But the San Francisco-based bank is now restricting its employees from visiting China following this case, according to reports. It said in a statement to AFP on Friday that it was 'closely tracking this situation and working through the appropriate channels so our employee can return to the United States as soon as possible'. Guo said Mao 'cannot leave the country while the case is ongoing, and has an obligation to cooperate with the work of investigators'. He stressed that it was an 'individual case' and that China would 'continue as ever to welcome people from every country to travel and do business here'. 'No matter whether you are Chinese or not, you must follow Chinese laws while in China,' he said. Tensions and detentions Industry groups say multinational firms have faced an increasingly difficult business environment in recent years, citing a lack of transparency on data laws and prolonged detentions of employees in the country. The trend has coincided with growing tensions between Beijing and certain Western nations, particularly the United States but also regional competitors. The Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing four unnamed sources, that an employee at the US Commerce Department was being prevented from leaving China after failing to declare on his visa application that he worked for the American government. The unnamed Chinese American man, who works for the Patent and Trademark Office, had travelled to China several months ago to visit family, the newspaper reported. Asked about the report on Monday, Guo said he was not familiar with the case. On Wednesday, a Chinese court sentenced a Japanese businessman from pharmaceutical company Astellas to three and a half years in prison for spying. Another pharma giant, UK-headquartered AstraZeneca, said in November that the head of its China operations, Leon Wang, had been detained, after reports that the firm was under investigation for potentially illegal data collection and drug imports. And in 2023, a senior executive at US risk advisory firm Kroll was prohibited from leaving China, according to the Wall Street Journal.
