US President Trump clarifies 20% tariffs on Chinese imports of semiconductors, electronics

Dhwani Mehta FXStreet

Late Sunday, US President Donald Trump took to his own social media application, Truth Social, and clarified that there will be no tariff exemption on semiconductors and the electronics supply chain, as these products will be subject to the existing 20% tariffs on fentanyl and not the 145% hike.

This comes after the US Customs and Border Protection issued a guidance late Friday stating certain items like smartphones, laptops, hard drives, flat-panel monitors, semiconductors etc would be exempted from both Trump’s 10% baseline reciprocal tariffs and the 145% tariffs on Chinese imports.

However, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in an ABC News interview on Sunday that smartphones, computers and some other electronics, just exempted from steep tariffs on imports from China, would face separate new levies along with semiconductors within the next two months.

Lutnick added that he is “not concerned about the US Dollar. “

Meanwhile, US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer told CBS News on Sunday that President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping "don't have any plans" to speak amid an escalating trade war between the two countries.

“We have to be much more deliberate about the semiconductor supply chain,” he said on the latest tariff talks on electronics and semiconductors.

Market reaction

Amid news of not-so-steep tariffs on Chinese imports of the electronic supply chain, risk sentiment is in a sweeter spot at the start of the new week early Monday, with the US Dollar Index holding the tepid recovery from three-year lows.

US-China Trade War FAQs

What does “trade war” mean?

Generally speaking, a trade war is an economic conflict between two or more countries due to extreme protectionism on one end. It implies the creation of trade barriers, such as tariffs, which result in counter-barriers, escalating import costs, and hence the cost of living.

What is the US-China trade war?

An economic conflict between the United States (US) and China began early in 2018, when President Donald Trump set trade barriers on China, claiming unfair commercial practices and intellectual property theft from the Asian giant. China took retaliatory action, imposing tariffs on multiple US goods, such as automobiles and soybeans. Tensions escalated until the two countries signed the US-China Phase One trade deal in January 2020. The agreement required structural reforms and other changes to China’s economic and trade regime and pretended to restore stability and trust between the two nations. However, the Coronavirus pandemic took the focus out of the conflict. Yet, it is worth mentioning that President Joe Biden, who took office after Trump, kept tariffs in place and even added some additional levies.

Trade war 2.0

The return of Donald Trump to the White House as the 47th US President has sparked a fresh wave of tensions between the two countries. During the 2024 election campaign, Trump pledged to impose 60% tariffs on China once he returned to office, which he did on January 20, 2025. With Trump back, the US-China trade war is meant to resume where it was left, with tit-for-tat policies affecting the global economic landscape amid disruptions in global supply chains, resulting in a reduction in spending, particularly investment, and directly feeding into the Consumer Price Index inflation.

Author

Dhwani Mehta

FXStreet

Residing in Mumbai (India), Dhwani is a Senior Analyst and Manager of the Asian session at FXStreet. She has over 10 years of experience in analyzing and covering the global financial markets, with specialization in Forex and commodities markets.

GBP/USD bounces off lows, back above 1.3200

After bottoming out near 1.3160, GBP/USD manages to regain a bit of shine and reclaim the 1.3200 mark and beyond at the end of the week. Stronger-than-expected UK Retail Sales data seem to be helping the British Pound limit its losses, while the chaotic UK political environment keeps the bulls at bay for now.

EUR/USD looks consolidative around 1.1460

EUR/USD stages a modest rebound after slipping to a three-month low below 1.1420 at the end of the week. That said, the pair now looks to consolidate humble gains just above 1.1460 despite growing uncertainty surrounding the next round of US-Iran negotiations, which keeps the US Dollar’s downside contained.

Gold remains vulnerable, targets $4,100

Gold retreats for the fourth consecutive day on Monday, targeting the key $4,100 mark per troy ounce. The precious metal continues to face headwinds from the Fed's hawkish stance and renewed uncertainty surrounding the US-Iran negotiations.

Breaking: Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz amid ceasefire deal violation

Iran says it is closing the Strait of Hormuz after accusing the United States (US) and Israel of violating the ceasefire. According to Iran, the decision came over the continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy issued a warning to all vessels: "Do not approach the Strait of Hormuz; otherwise, your security will be jeopardized."

The Iran war didn't break the US economy, but what happens next?

Nearly four months after the start of the Iran war, the US economy remains remarkably resilient. While the conflict initially triggered a severe disruption to global energy markets and a sharp rise in Oil prices, recent diplomatic progress between Washington and Tehran has eased concerns about a prolonged supply shock.

Regime change: Inside Kevin Warsh's first move to make the Fed unreadable on purpose

The rate did not move. That was the least interesting thing about Kevin Warsh's first meeting in charge of the Fed. The FOMC held its benchmark at 3.50%-3.75% for the fourth straight meeting, exactly as priced, and then the new chair used his first press conference to dismantle the machinery the market has leaned on for a decade.