Guangzhou | As President Donald Trump ratcheted up new tariffs on goods from China to 125 per cent this week, the mood in the dusty streets and small factories of southeastern China was a mixture of anger, worry and resolve.

Thousands of export-oriented small factories in or near Guangzhou, the commercial hub of southeastern China, have played a central role in the country’s rapid economic development over the past half-century. Quick to supply almost any manufactured product at a low cost, they employ millions of migrant workers from all over China.