The Trump administration has granted tariff exclusions for smartphones, computers and other electronics imports supplied largely by China, sparing them from much of US President Donald Trump’s steep 145 per cent duties.
The exemptions, published late Friday in a notice by the US Customs and Border Protection office, cover various electronic goods entering the US from China.
Semiconductors are also excluded from the “baseline” 10-per cent tariff on most US trading partners and the added 125-per cent levy on China.
The exclusions narrow the range of sweeping 10-per cent levies announced by Trump earlier this month, and the punishing additional rate on goods from China.
The US CBP listed 20 product categories, including the very broad 8471 code for all computers, laptops and disc drives and automatic data processing. It also included semiconductor devices, equipment, memory chips and flat panel displays.
The notice did not provide an explanation for the Trump administration’s move, but the late-night exclusion provides welcome relief to major US technology firms, including Apple, Dell Technologies and countless other importers.
The move represents another step back from Trump’s maximalist tariff approach, including several escalations of his duties on Chinese goods.
