Businesses with a large US customer base report that US customers have become so strongly insistent about decoupling from China that they are willing to pay a substantial premium for manufacturers to relocate production out of China to the US, or even Europe. Other customers may be unable or unwilling to pay the tariff premiums, requiring suppliers to shift to new pricing strategies, structures, and segments. In some instances, businesses with a large European customer base report growing even closer to their national customers, in some cases shifting segments to meet the new, pressing need to strengthen pan-European infrastructures and move toward self-sufficiency in energy, defense, and aerospace.

“We see US customers being a little bit shaken and more scared than European ones. You have to buy American, and you have to de-risk China. That’s the theme that we see from many customers.”
[Manufacturing group]

“We’re… working in closer collaboration with one or two of the customers that we have there [in the US]. You want to be more present in the US now than before.”
[Manufacturing group]

 “We see this also on the military side … this is really a major shift.”
[Construction group]

“Maintain the trust. If you have strong brands, it is incredibly important, not only in our industry [but] in every single industry. No US administration will be able to change that.”
[Media group]