Welcome to this week’s Sourcing Spotlight.
In this weeks edition, a messy cluster of EU–US tariff delays, an Iran-linked 25% surcharge threat that could stack onto China duties, China’s record $3.9tn export surge, and a targeted 25% Section 232 hit on advanced AI chips is turning “business as usual” into “recheck your landed costs, HS codes, and contracts before the border does it for you.”
Feature Story
EU-US Tariff Deal Delayed?
Brussels is flirting with a transatlantic own goal. The European Parliament is weighing a delay to the vote that would lift EU tariffs on US industrial goods and lock in concessions like lobster, after Trump’s Greenland rhetoric turned a trade file into a political signal. The problem is sequencing: the US has already moved on its side, including easing pressure on EU cars, and a parliamentary pause risks handing Washington an excuse to reapply leverage, especially on autos, metals, and other politically flammable lines. For small businesses, this is not a headline to skim, it’s a cost model to stress test: watch when the deal actually enters into force, confirm your HS code and rules of origin eligibility, and run a quick “relief vs snap back” scenario so pricing and contracts don’t get ambushed. Read the full breakdown for sector impacts, practical to dos, and what to watch next as Parliament decides whether to vote or stall.
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Iran Linked 25% Tariff Threat: What It Could Mean for China to US Small Importers
Trump is floating a new 25% tariff that could hit any country “doing business” with Iran, which is less a neat Iran policy and more a roaming surcharge risk for US importers. For small businesses shipping from China to the US, the danger is the stack: if China is treated as in scope, that extra 25% could land on top of existing China duties, turning “profitable on paper” into “margin evaporated at clearance”, with added border friction while definitions and enforcement mechanics stay vague. The smart move right now is not panic, it’s prep: stress test landed costs with a 25% shock line, tighten paperwork to avoid holds, and have a pricing and cash buffer plan ready if duties jump mid transit. To read further, see the full breakdown on who’s most exposed, how this could be implemented at customs, and the practical playbook to protect margins.
China hit a record $3.9tn in exports in 2025 and a $1.2tn surplus despite punishing US tariffs.
Trump-era tariff threats of up to 200% on imported medicines have put Europe’s pharma supply chain on edge. Instead of gambling on a last-minute US-EU deal, drug makers are pouring investment into Poland—Central Europe’s low-cost, high-tech manufacturing hot-spot. With EU-wide tariff-free access, generous tax breaks, and a deep bench of scientists, Poland is fast becoming the bloc’s “tariff safety-valve.” The shift could permanently tilt Europe’s pharmaceutical centre of gravity eastward while giving Brussels fresh leverage in trade talks.
Discover the exact incentives luring Pfizer, Novartis and Polpharma to Warsaw, see the numbers behind Poland’s 48 % production surge, and learn how this eastward pivot could reshape drug prices, jobs, and future EU-US negotiations.
Trump Hits Advanced AI Chips With 25% Section 232 Tariff
Trump has just slapped a targeted 25% Section 232 tariff on a narrow band of advanced AI and data centre chips, explicitly naming Nvidia’s H200 and AMD’s MI325X, while dangling the bigger threat: broader semiconductor tariffs could be next. The real twist is the carve out, chips imported to support US tech supply chain buildout and domestic manufacturing capacity may be exempt, which turns this from a simple border cost into a routing, end use, and documentation game. If you import, allocate, or re export high end accelerators, this is where compliance and infrastructure planning start to blur, and where one sloppy assumption can turn into a very expensive “oops” at the border. Read further for the practical checklist: what to ringfence internally, how to build an assumed coverage matrix before the HTS notes land, and the contract clauses you want in place before the scope widens.
Archived Articles
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From new AI concepts that could benefit you, to new technologies and strategies to navigate the current global economy. Read through for impactful resources to help you become proactive in your business.
How Stoke-on-Trent Kept Britain’s Ceramics Alive & What Can We Learn From It.
Walmart is using AI tool Pactum to negotiate with suppliers, and 85% prefer it to a human.
As tariffs escalate, Illinois finds itself caught in the crossfire. From manufacturing supply chains tied to Canada and Mexico, to billions in farm exports now facing retaliation
That’s it for this weeks Sourcing Spotlight.
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Until next time,
Quiet sourcing. Loud impact.
