US President Donald Trump on Thursday upped his tariffs on Chinese goods to 145 per cent after China placed retaliatory duties of 84 per cent on imports from the United States, reported Bloomberg.
The number, published in a White House memo, comes in addition to a 20 per cent levy put into place earlier this year over China’s role in fentanyl trafficking.
Trump, a day earlier, imposed a 125 per cent charge designed to both counter America’s trade deficit with China and punish Beijing for retaliating against US import taxes.
The current US tariffs on Chinese imports include a 145 per cent duty on all products imported from China, 25 per cent tariffs on aluminum, automobiles, and goods from Canada and Mexico that do not fall under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and a 10 per cent levy on all other imported items.
What’s a breakdown of Trump’s 145% tariff on China imports?
The Trump administration’s recent move adds to a series of aggressive tariff actions taken by the Republican leader as part of his new economic vision to bring business back to America.
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Earlier in 2025, the US imposed a 20 per cent tariff targeting China’s alleged role in fueling fentanyl trafficking. Just one day before the latest hike, Trump had slapped a 125 per cent duty on Chinese goods, aiming to reduce America’s longstanding trade deficit and punish Beijing for what he called “unfair retaliation.”
Now, the cumulative result is a 145 per cent blanket tariff on all Chinese imports.
‘Transition problems’: What did President Trump say on China tariffs
Trump said his tariffs may cause “transition problems” but expressed confidence in his plan after the White House clarified that US tariffs on China rose to 145 per cent.
“There’ll be a transition cost, and transition problems, but in the end it’s going to be a beautiful thing,” Trump said Thursday during a Cabinet meeting. “We’re in very good shape.”
The US President on Wednesday announced a 90-day pause on some tariffs on ‘most countries’, adding that he was raising the tariff rate for China to 125 per cent, effective immediately.
