This illustration photograph shows a screen displaying a stock market index graphs and the word “Tariffs” written in the colours of the US flag, in Paris on April 4, 2025. Markets extended a global selloff on April 4, 2025 as countries around the world reeled from US President’s trade war, but the White House insisted the American economy will emerge victorious. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP)

Product manufacturers in China have turned their attention to Nigeria and other emerging markets following the imposition of trade tariffs on their products by the US President, Donald Trump.

Trump, on April 2, slapped a 46% tariff on Vietnam and a 17% levy on the Philippines before paring those back to 10% for the next three months as he begins bilateral negotiations on trade with about 75 different countries.

Manufacturers say that after Washington raised tariffs on Chinese goods by 145%, U.S. orders for products have vanished.

“It’s a matter of life and death because 60-70% of our business is with American clients,” marketing manager of Conmo Electronic Co, Candice Li SAID in a survey obtained by Channels Television on Tuesday, adding,g “Goods cannot be exported and money cannot be collected. This is very severe.”

Most exporters Reuters spoke with said U.S. orders have either been delayed or stopped coming – a bad sign for the world’s second-largest economy, whose growth last year relied heavily on running a trillion-dollar trade surplus.

Kobe Huang, sales representative at Shenzhen Landun Environmental Technology, which makes water filters and smart toilets, says that for now, European sales are up, but the U.S. market is “frozen.”

U.S. customers and distributors haven’t cancelled orders, he said. “They have asked us to hold on. We are holding on.”

No other country comes close to matching China’s sales of more than $400 billion in goods to the U.S. each year.

And while Trump’s tariffs on the rest of the world are much lower, they are likely to curb global demand in coming months – and implicitly, the appetite for Chinese goods in other countries.

Despite the tariffs on China, exports from China to other countries, including to Nigeria, have surged.

A poll by AFP said China is expected to post first-quarter growth of around five percent on Wednesday, buoyed by exports.

Analysts polled by AFP forecast the world’s number two economy to have grown 5.1 percent from January to March.

Figures released Monday showed Beijing’s exports soared more than 12 percent on-year in March, smashing expectations, with analysts attributing it to a “frontloading” of orders ahead of Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs on April 2.

Many exporters said they have been either diversifying their production bases outside China, or the markets they sell to, away from the United States.

Henry Han, sales manager at Apexto Electronics Co, which makes SSD and micro SD flash drives, says the U.S. market only accounts for 10% of direct sales, down from 30% before the pandemic. Many of their customers now take shipments of components for final assembly in a third country to avoid the tariffs.

Sales manager David Du, from speaker maker Zealot, said an order from Skechers for 30,000 speakers to be distributed to their U.S. stores was put on hold after Trump’s tariffs. But he said he can rely on other markets.

Zealot got a big and unexpected break in 2015, when an all-in-one speaker, power bank and emergency flashlight became a hit in Nigeria.

He added that its market in Nigeria is now twice as big as the U.S., accounting for 40% of total sales and taking in 45 containers monthly.

“We are as big as JBL” in Nigeria, Du said, referring to the Californian audio equipment brand.

China’s exports to Nigeria are diverse and significant, with a focus on manufactured goods, particularly electrical and electronic equipment, machinery, and vehicles. In 2023, these top exports included electrical and electronic equipment ($2.88B), machinery, nuclear reactors, and boilers ($2.13B), and vehicles (other than railway or tramway) ($1.34B).

The bilateral trade between Nigeria and China reached an all-time high of $15.1 billion (about N25.7 trillion) between January and September 2024, with China’s imports from Nigeria increasing by 36.1 per cent year-on-year.

The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), has shared N1.578 trillion among the Federal Government, states and the Local Government Councils (LGCs) for the month of March.

A communiqué issued by Bawa Mokwa, the Director, Press and Public Relations, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), said the revenue was shared at the April meeting of FAAC in Abuja.

The communiqué said that the total revenue of N1.578 trillion comprised statutory revenue of N931.325 billion, Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N593.750 billion, and Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) revenue of N24.971 billion.

“It also comprised Exchange Difference revenue of N28.711 billion,” it said.

It said that total gross revenue of N2.411 trillion was available in the month of March.

“Total deduction for cost of collection was N85.376 billion, while total transfers, interventions and refunds was N747.180 billion.

“Gross statutory revenue of N1.718 trillion was received for the month of March 2025. This was higher than the sum of N1.653 trillion received in February 2025 by N65.422 billion.

“Gross revenue of N637.618 billion was available from VAT. This was lower than the N654.456 billion available in February by N16.838 billion,” it said.

The communiqué said that from the total revenue of N1.578 trillion, the Federal Government received N528.696 billion and the State Governments received N530.448 billion.

It said that the LGCs received total sum of N387.002 billion, and a total sum of N132.611 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the benefiting states as derivation revenue.

“On the N931.325 billion statutory revenue, the Federal Government received N422.485 billion and the State Governments received N214.290 billion.

“The LGCs received N165.209 billion, and the sum of N129.341 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the benefiting States as derivation revenue.

“From the N593.750 billion VAT revenue, the Federal Government received N89.063 billion, the State Governments received N296.875 billion and the LGCs received N207.813 billion,” it said.

It said that total sum of N3.746 billion was received by the Federal Government from the N24.971 billion EMTL, while he State Governments received N12.485 billion and the LGCs received N8.740 billion.

According to the communiqué, Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) and Companies Income Tax (CIT) increased considerably while Oil and Gas royalty, EMTL, VAT, Excise Duty, Import Duty and CET Levies recorded decreases.