February 24, 2019
Tariff Increase Delayed
President Trump announces via Twitter that he will delay the tariff
increase on $200 billion of imports from China that had been
scheduled to go into effect on March 1, 2019. The 10 percent
tariffs would have been raised to 25 percent.
April 2019
Concerns Emerge over Possible Deal
In the weeks leading up to a potential deal with China, the
media reports that the US-China tariffs will not be lifted by any
agreement. Statements from US business interests and labor
unions also indicate the potential deal may contain few Chinese
commitments to curb industrial subsidies, a key request by the
Trump administration.
May 5, 2019
Trump Renews Tariff Threats
In a sudden reversal during the US-China trade negotiations,
President Trump tweets (later officially confirmed) that the
United States will increase the 10 percent tariff on $200 billion
of imports from China to 25 percent on May 10, 2019. He also
indicates he will “shortly” impose 25 percent tariffs on the rest
of US imports from China not yet targeted with his Section 301
tariffs, which he states are “325 Billion Dollars” and would mostly
hit final consumer products such as toys, footwear, clothing, and
electronics.
May 10, 2019
US Raises Tariff Rate on Previous List
Imports from China that were previously hit by a 10 percent
tariff under the September 2018 action are now subject to a 25
percent rate.
May 13, 2019
China Plans to Hike Tariff Rate
In retaliation for President Trump’s tariff rate increase on May 10,
China announced that on June 1, it intends to increase the tariff
rate covering some of the $60 billion of US exports it had already
hit in September.
June 1, 2019
China Raises Retaliatory Tariffs
China’s tariff rate hike on US exports goes in effect, covering $36
billion of the $60 billion list from September 2018. Given that China
has also lowered tariffs on US competitors since the start of the
trade war, there is now a 14-percentage point difference in China’s
average tariff on US goods versus the rest of the world’s goods.
August 1, 2019
US Announces Tariffs on Almost All
Remaining Imports from China
Immediately following another round of US-China trade talk,
President Trump said the United States would impose a 10
percent tariff (not 25 percent as earlier threatened) on an
additional $300 billion of imports from China, going into effect
September 1, 2019.
August 13, 2019
Trump Plans Two Major Rollouts of Fall 2019 Tariffs
The Trump administration plans to impose the new 10 percent
tariff on $112 billion of imports from China starting September 1,
2019, then $160 billion on December 15, 2019. The September 1
tariffs hit a lot of clothing and shoes, and the December 15 tariffs
hit toys and consumer electronics. The timing helps importers
avoid tariffs on goods typically bought for back-to-school and
winter holiday shopping.
98 The TRUMP RALLY Publication