Jennifer Pak

Meanwhile, Chinese exporters to the U.S.

are cautiously optimistic about the tariff ruling.

Shoe manufacturer James Gao, based in southern China, says the news is good, but...

Not sure how it'll be enforced, he says, and not sure what happens next.

Already, President Trump has announced other ways of levying tariffs.

It's not clear how this affects the current pause on higher duties between the U.S.

and China and the upcoming talks between the two leaders.

Jennifer Pak, NPR News, Shanghai.

So this morning, China's Ministry of Commerce issued a statement saying it's making a full assessment of the ruling.

It's also urged Washington to lift unilateral tariffs on its trading partners.

Now that's the official view.

On the ground, Chinese business owners who deal with the U.S.

are cautiously optimistic, I'd say, about this development.

I spoke to a shoe manufacturer based in southern China in Guangdong province.

James Gao owns this company called ShoeBot, and he says Friday's news sounds positive, but...

Because he says it all comes down to how it's enforced and what's next.

Like when he loads his shoes on a ship today, will it be the same tariff rate when it arrives in the U.S.?

You know, this past year has just been a rollercoaster ride with tariffs.

Wow.

Well, they've been living with uncertainty for quite a while since Trump's first term when he launched a trade war with China in 2018.