The 2024 Chinese New Year holiday lasts from February 10th to February 17th. It's a time of celebration for many Asian countries, including China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, that essentially shut down business for at least a week. 

Learn what service levels and pricing to expect this year and how to prepare when shipping or receiving goods to and from Asia during this period. 

Ocean Export from China

Space is tighter than in previous years.

Due to the Red Sea crisis and the impact of the Panama Canal drought, container ships are unable to return to China in a short period. This has led to a current shortage of container resources in China compared to before.

Please note that due to the spreading impact of the Red Sea crisis, coupled with the Chinese New Year holiday, there has been a significant surge in pricing (doubling and tripling) for exports to the USA.

Also, carriers are unwilling to accept goods containing batteries. For shipments containing batteries, it is necessary to confirm with our operations team before arranging transport during the holiday season. 

• We recommend booking early, at least 14 days prior to preferred departure date, to secure cargo space.

Air Export from China

In past years, there have been flight cancellations during this holiday period. This year is likely to be the same. However, the specific details of cancellations have yet to be made available.

Like ocean freight, various air export resources will be in short supply, so booking as early as possible is advisable to secure space. Pick-ups and operations may be slower than usual.

Due to the surge in e-commerce shipments, the air freight cost per kilo to the U.S. was exceptionally high in December. Pricing has only just returned to normal levels in January. Even if there is an increase during the Chinese New Year period, the extent of the increase is expected to be insignificant.

Imports to China

Shipments requiring delivery service may face delays due to a truck driver shortage during the holiday. For urgent shipments, it's advisable to provide advance notice.

Customs generally has staff on duty every day without any closures, but during the holiday, they generally do not handle certain special events such as cancellations or modifications of orders.

Our team will have staff available for urgent shipments and issues. However, factory workers may take early leave, and there might be a shortage of truck drivers before the Chinese New Year. 

We recommend communicating closely with your NNR contact to ensure the smoothest transit of goods to mitigate extensive delays, storage, and demurrage during the Chinese New Year period.