In an apparent bid to calm volatile global markets, the Trump administration has exempted smartphones, routers, and certain computers and laptops from its recently imposed “reciprocal” tariffs, impacting Chinese imports.
The exclusion was detailed in a notice posted late Friday by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), the agency responsible for collecting import duties. This move notably spares these popular consumer electronics from levies that included tariffs reaching as high as 125 percent on goods from China.
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This decision follows a week of significant turbulence in financial markets. The administration’s launch of a multi-front trade war on April 2nd, dubbed “liberation day,” had rattled investors globally, leading to a sharp sell-off in the U.S. stock market and the $29 trillion U.S. Treasury market.
The exemption for smartphones and other tech items marks the first indication of the Trump administration potentially softening its aggressive tariff strategy against China, which had been escalated over the preceding week. While the steepest “reciprocal” tariffs are paused for these goods, the administration had maintained tariffs of 10 percent on most other trading partners.
Previously, sectors like semiconductors and pharmaceuticals had been exempted from reciprocal tariffs, although President Trump had indicated intentions to eventually apply duties to these areas as well.
READ: Trump Pauses Most Tariffs For 90 Days, Increases Tariffs On China To 125%; Markets Surge
It remains unclear whether smartphones imported from China will still be subject to a separate 20 percent levy that was not part of the specific “reciprocal” tariff package announced on April 2nd.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection directed inquiries regarding the notice to the U.S. International Trade Commission. Neither the Commission nor the White House immediately responded to requests for comment on the matter at the time of the original report.
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