Yossi Sheffi, director of the transportation and logistics center of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, recently accepted an exclusive interview with Xinhua news agency. He pointed out that the extensive fiscal stimulus measures introduced by the US government after the outbreak of COVID-19, the destruction of the global supply chain by the epidemic and the aging of the US infrastructure are the three major reasons for the current US supply chain crisis. Sheffield said that after the outbreak of the epidemic, the U.S. federal government issued cash checks to people suffering from economic difficulties. Although this approach is understandable, it is "wrong". "I think we should give money to people who really need it, but the U.S. government gives money to too many people (who don't need help)." He believes that the extensive fiscal stimulus measures of the U.S. federal government, coupled with the reopening of the U.S. economy, stimulate people's massive consumption, but the production capacity and logistics level are limited, "not transferred by people's consumption desire". According to Xie Fei, tens of thousands of containers could not be unloaded in some U.S. ports due to continuous vessel congestion. The shortage of land transport capacity also leads to the inability of goods to be transported in time to meet consumer demand. At the same time, there is a shortage of storage space such as warehouses. "This is a common situation in places such as Los Angeles." He said that out of concern about the epidemic situation, logistics and other uncertainties, "hoarding" is inevitable, further exacerbating the tension in the global supply chain. Xie Fei said that although the transportation infrastructure such as roads and railways in the United States once led the world, at present, American ports including Los Angeles and long beach have not established international standard automation systems, and these problems are difficult to solve in the short term. As the Christmas shopping season approaches, many ports are forced to extend their working hours. For example, the port of Los Angeles is required to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and Long Beach port has implemented night and weekend shifts since a few weeks ago. However, Sheffield predicts that by the third quarter of 2022, the tension in the U.S. supply chain is expected to ease, or even oversupply. (Xinhua News Agency)