China says US tariffs will break “small steps” to fix mistakes
The Chinese government said the US decision to exempt certain household appliances from so-called mutual tariffs was a small step towards correcting that fraud and urged Washington to do more to cancel the tax.
President Donald Trump’s administration ruled out smartphones, computers and other electronic devices from the increase in import duties on Friday, narrowing the 125% tariff range for goods from China and a baseline of 10% for imports from most other countries.
“This is a small step by the US to correct the illegal behaviour of unilateral ‘mutual tariffs’,” the Commerce Department said.statementIt was posted on the official Wechat account on Sunday. The department went on to urge the United States to “much progress in abolishing tort completely and return to the right path of resolving differences through equal dialogue based on mutual respect.”
Trump’sLatest exemptionsIt covers almost $390 billion of US imports based on US imports, based on official US 2024 trade statistics, including more than $101 billion from China, according to data compiled by Gerard Dipippo, associate director of RAND China Research Center.
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Trump on Saturday refused to elaborate on the exemption beyond the published memo, but hinted at further development on Monday.
“I’ll give you that answer on Monday. We’ll be very specific on Monday,” he told Air Force 1 reporters. “We’re taking a lot of money in. We’re making a lot of money.”
The White House has also released a corresponding memo indicating that the exemptions extend to small-scale transportation operations changes. Trump has moved to end the so-called “de minimis” exemption, which begins in China. This generally means that parcels under $800 will not face obligations.
The tariff deferral may prove to be fleeting. The exclusion stems from the initial order, preventing the additional charges for certain sectors from cumulatively stacking on national fees. The exclusion is a sign that products could soon be subject to different tariffs, despite being almost certainly low for China.
Products that are not subject to Trump’s new tariffs include machines used to manufacture semiconductors. That’s important Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has announced major new investments in the US and other chip manufacturers.
“All products that are properly classified under these listed regulations will be excluded from mutual duties,” the notice states.
The move appeared to exclude products from the global baseline tariffs of 10% in other countries. Samsung A Korean house at Electronics Co.
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Tax deferrals do not extend to another Trump tax in China. This is a 20% obligation applied to pressure to crack down on fentanyl, including shipping of precursor materials. Other previously existing tax levies, including those before Trump’s current term, also appear to have not been affected.
This story was originally introduced Fortune.com