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How a Leather Belt Got Ensnared in Trump's Trade War With China

  • Accessory’s journey traced from the U.S. to China, and back
  • U.S. and Chinese firms are already seeing fallout from tariffs
Leather belts are made at the Guangzhou Jinhuamei Leatherware Co. factory in Guangzhou, China.
Leather belts are made at the Guangzhou Jinhuamei Leatherware Co. factory in Guangzhou, China.Photographer: Giulia Marchi/Bloomberg
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To an American shopper, it may be just a leather belt. But the 16,000-mile journey undertaken by this simple accessory relies on a complex network of companies that are coming under strain like never before.

As the trade war between the U.S. and China disrupts the supply of goods and materials across the Pacific Ocean, a vast web of suppliers, distributors, manufacturers and customers that took decades to build is being challenged by tariffs on both shores.