One by one, they paraded before a panel of US administration officials this week to plead for mercy in the escalating trade war with Beijing, at a public hearing on the $200bn in new tariffs threatened by Donald Trump against imports from China.

There was Adam Finkel of Annjoy, an Arizona-based supplier of paper shopping bags used by retailers such as J Crew and Godiva. There was Wendell Howerton of Blue Ribbon Products, a North Carolina-based manufacturer of cast nets for fishing.

There were lobbying groups representing home appliance makers and the US fishing industry. And there was Steve Williams, of Elberta Crate & Box, from rural Georgia, which has been in business since 1905 making wooden containers for fruits and vegetables. All were braced for a big hit to their business if the new tariffs end up being implemented.