iPhone 16e. VWPICS / Profimedia
The electronic products imported by the US will be exempted from the customs duties that President Donald Trump announced, according to the notification published by the American Border Authority, reports CNN on Saturday.
The exempted products include smartphones, computer monitors and various electronic components. According to the notification, the exception applies to products entering the US or have been removed from warehouses not earlier than April 5.
Bloomberg notes that the measure is also valid for laptops, hard drives, processors and memory cards.
These are popular electronic products that are generally not manufactured in the US, and creating means of production internally could take years.
The decision comes in the context of the minimum tariff of 145% that the Trump administration has introduced for the US -imported Chinese goods. Taxes would have a major impact for giants like Apple, which manufactures their iPhone and other products in China.
Among the products that will not be subject to the new tariffs imposed by Trump are the machines used to make semiconductors. Such a measure is important for Taiwan Seconductor Manufacturing Co., which has announced a new major investment in the US, as well as for other chip producers.
China's response to Trump's rates
As a reaction to the measures of the Trump administration, Beijing increased 125% customs tariffs for US imports, but indicated that it does not intend to go beyond this level.
“The successive imposition of excessively high rates on China by the US has become only a game of numbers, without a real economic significance,” said a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce on Friday, according to CNN.
He accused the US of using rates as a “bullying and coercion instrument.”
About the commercial war between the main economies of the world, the President of China also spoke on Friday in Beijing, in the margin of the visit there by the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez.
“There are no winners in a commercial war, and going against the world will only lead to self-insulation,” said Xi Jinping.
“For over 70 years, the development of China has been based on autonomy and hard work – never on the apple from others and is not afraid of any unfair repression,” said XI, quoted by the CCTV state television station.
“Regardless of how the external environment changes, China will remain confident, focused and focus on the effective management of its own businesses,” said the Chinese leader.
Trump praised XI
After the latest beijing response, the US president said he feels “very comfortable” with the current situation of customs tariffs.
In a statement offered on Friday night for reporters at Air Force One presidential aircraft, Donald Trump praised his personal relationship with Xi Jinping.
“He is a very good leader, a very smart leader,” said the US president. “I always got along with President XI, I had a good, very good relationship,” he continued.
