The Trump administration is exempting smartphones, computers, and other electronics from the “reciprocal” tariffs imposed on other countries, including China.
Customs and Border Protection, which collects import duties, announced that approximately 20 products would be excluded from reciprocal tariffs. These include smartphones, computers, routers, and semiconductor chips.
The exemptions could provide relief to consumers who were facing the possibility of paying higher prices for electronics due to steep tariffs imposed on China. It also benefits companies like Apple, which manufactures many of its products in China.
Trump has indicated that he will impose sector-specific tariffs on goods such as semiconductor chips, so the reprieve may be short-lived in some cases.
The White House announced earlier this month a 10% baseline tariff on foreign imports, as well as steeper “reciprocal” tariffs on dozens of other countries, many of which are key trading partners. Trump later announced that the steeper tariffs would be reduced to 10% for 90 days to allow for negotiations.
However, this change did not affect China. Trump has increased reciprocal tariffs on China to 125 percent, on top of 20 percent levies, prompting a proportionate response from Beijing. This has raised fears of a massive trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
On Friday night, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he was optimistic that the United States and China could reach an agreement, citing his relationship with President Xi Jinping.
“I think something positive is going to come out of it,” Mr. Trump said.
