Los Angeles port chief says China exports look "dismal" on volume slump

Closely watched imports to the Port of Los Angeles came in at 421,594 TEU in January, down 13 per cent from the unusually strong result the year earlier, Seroka said.

So far, imports in February appear relatively flat compared with a year earlier. Imports will slow in March due to China factory closures for the Lunar New Year holiday, he said.

Still, Seroka expects total first-quarter volume at the port to fall less than 10 per cent versus the year-earlier quarter, when US importers were rushing in goods before President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs on countries like China took effect.

"I don't see the economy or cargo volume dropping off a cliff after that, and even though holiday sales were softer than we would have liked, I don't see a dire situation," Seroka said, referring to lacklustre US December retail sales that signalled potential weakness in consumer spending that drives about 70 per cent of the nation's total economic activity.

(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein; Editing by Chris Reese and Nick Zieminski)