TRUMP ADMINISTRATION TRADE ALERT – IMPORTS
HEADLINE	U.S. Reduces 125% Reciprocal Tariffs Against China to 10% for 90 days; China Reduces its Retaliatory Tariffs to 10% for 90 days
DATE	May 13, 2025
AGENCY	Presidential Action, Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council
EFFECTIVE DATE	May 14, 2025, 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time
BACKGROUND	President Trump issued executive orders in February, March, and April 2025 that imposed a combined 145% ad valorem tariffs on articles that are products of China, Hong Kong, and Macau (20% IEEPA fentanyl tariff and 125% reciprocal tariff). In response, the Chinese government imposed retaliatory tariffs of 125% on most U.S. imports in April 2025. After negotiations on May 10, the Administration and China announced mutual reductions in duties of 115% for a period of 90 days to permit further discussions.
DETAILS	Pursuant to negotiations with China, the United States agreed to: 1) Reduce the reciprocal tariffs to 10% for 90 days, starting at 12:01 a.m. May 14, 2025. Therefore, the base tariff on Chinese-origin goods imported into the United States will be 30% until August 12, 2025 (10% reciprocal tariffs and 20% IEEPA Fentanyl tariff). 2) Reduce the reciprocal tariff that will be applied at the end of the 90-day period to 34%. 3) Reduce the rate of duties applicable to the importation of postal items from 120% to 54%. 4) Reduce the specific duties on postal items containing goods entered for consumption on or after June 1, 2025 from $200 to $100.  The 125% Chinese retaliatory duties on US goods will be lowered to 10% as follows: • reduce the additional ad valorem rate of duty set forth in Announcement of the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council No. 4 of 2025, from 34 percentage points to 10 percentage points and remove the modified additional ad valorem rates of duty imposed by Announcement of the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council Nos. 5 and 6 of 2025. The Chinese government also committed to adopt all necessary administrative measures to suspend or remove the non-tariff countermeasures taken against the United States since April 2, 2025.   These actions are to be taken by both sides by May 14 and were stated to be for an “initial” period of 90 days (ending on August 12, 2025).
BASIS	International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), 50 U.S. Code § 1701 et seq. citing a declaration of national emergency in response to the “extraordinary threat posed by illegal aliens and drugs, including deadly fentanyl”; the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (NEA); section 604 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2483); and section 301 of title 3, United States Code.
HTS/ PRODUCTS	All products of Chinese, Hong Kong, and Macau origin.
COUNTRY	China, Hong Kong, Macau
CITE	Executive Order – Modifying Reciprocal Tariff Rates to Reflect Discussions with the People’s Republic of China – The White House Joint Statement on Economic and Trade Meeting Joint Statement on U.S.-China Economic and Trade Meeting in Geneva – The White House

Recent Trade & Compliance Actions Homepage