Georgia Chamber Hosts Press Call on How Georgia Businesses Can Mitigate Uncertainty with Global Supply Chains and Free Trade

ATLANTA – Today, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce hosted a press call on the Chamber’s latest report which offers guidance for Georgia businesses to mitigate uncertainty with global supply chains.

The report, available here, is the latest document published by the Georgia Chamber to help Georgia businesses and communities as they plan for tariffs and other barriers to global free trade to be implemented. On April 11, the Georgia Chamber published a briefing, available here, on the U.S.-China trade conflict.

A recording of the press call is available here.

Chris Clark, President & CEO of the Georgia Chamber’s remarks as prepared for delivery are below: 

Good afternoon and thank you to all of you joining us from media markets across Georgia. We understand how challenging it can be to cover what is a rapidly evolving story. 

As you try to make sense of what is happening in Washington D.C. and Beijing and how it impacts Georgia, our members are doing the same in real-time.

That’s why the Georgia Chamber, our Global Business Subcommittee, and the Georgia Chamber Foundation are committed to sharing the most reliable and up-to-date information on tariff policy with Georgia’s business community and the state.

We have now published two reports for Georgia’s business community to better understand every development when it comes to the new global trade regulatory environment, which includes things like the series of tariffs the United States levied on virtually every one of our trading partners, and those countries’ reciprocal actions.

Last Friday, we published a report that focuses on the latest round in the ongoing U.S.-China Trade Conflict and how it impacts Georgia. Just today, we published an update to that report with more specific steps businesses can take to mitigate uncertainty with global supply chains and free trade. That update will be shared after this call.

These documents were published after two rounds of tariff reciprocation, with the U.S. imposing a 145% tariff on Chinese products and China responding with a 125% tariff on U.S. goods. China’s Finance Ministry added they “will ignore” any future tariffs levied by the United States.

Also last week, China’s National Film Administration announced that they would “moderately reduce the number of American films imported" in response to the trade conflict. This development will continue to be monitored by our affiliate, the Georgia Screen Entertainment Coalition, the leading industry association for Georgia’s film and television industry.

We know that many consumer goods, including toys, appliances, and electronics, come from China, and we are concerned about how Georgia’s mom-and-pop and mid-size retailers can remain competitive if there are disruptions to Georgia’s supply chain networks. We also are worried about continued inflationary moves that could hurt Georgia consumers.

Looking at those impacts and those from other trade disputes, earlier today, we published a new report with more specific steps businesses can take to mitigate uncertainty with global supply chains and free trade.

In our latest report, we focused on how some of Georgia’s most valuable sectors can maneuver through the uncertainty:

• Manufacturing
• Retail
• Agribusiness
• Technology
• Logistics and Distribution

Some of those steps can be used by a variety of businesses including:

• Utilizing Georgia’s Foreign Trade Zones, which can help delay or avoid duties on imports until goods enter U.S. commerce;
• Optimizing models of distribution by routing goods through Georgia’s inland ports or the Ports of Savannah and Brunswick so businesses can get what they need quicker;
• Better implementation of AI and other cutting-edge technologies so businesses can be more nimble;
• Stockpiling orders;
• Working with your creditors or lenders to secure the capital needed;
• Seeking out domestic or foreign suppliers from non-impacted markets or markets that are eager to secure trade agreements, like India.
• And of course, leveraging the preexisting expertise and programs with organizations like the Georgia Chamber, GDEcD, or the Department of Agriculture to increase business intelligence and find new markets to sell your goods.
• We also strongly encourage businesses to remain engaged with us as we continue conversations with Georgia’s Congressional Delegation, advocating for free and fair trade. And they should also communicate directly with their members of Congress, telling them how tariffs will impact their business.

As always, our biggest piece of advice for every Georgia business no matter their size, industry, or base of operations is to stay calm. There has been a lot of whiplash since January as tariffs are announced and then paused. Try not to get caught up in the daily news cycle and stay focused on your long-term business goals.

There’s a right way to go about implementing necessary changes to trade policy, and we hope leaders in Washington D.C., Beijing, and world capitals work through that process responsibly. While investors, businesses, and Georgians attempt to make sense of that process, the Georgia Chamber will continue monitoring policy shifts and offer tools, insights, and advocacy to ensure businesses across the state remain competitive, informed, and resilient.

We ask that the administration and global partners work quickly to reestablish stability in free and fair trade.

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Founded in 1911 and incorporated in 1915, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce is the largest business advocacy organization in Georgia, working to protect free enterprise and secure our long-term economic prosperity. The Georgia Chamber represents tens of thousands of members in every corner of the state, with offices in Atlanta, Brunswick, and Tifton. In 2025 the Georgia Chamber launched Georgia|2050, a strategic plan to ensure Georgia remains a beacon of economic opportunity for the next 25 years. For more information visit gachamber.com.