Topline
The Chinese government may exempt some goods from its 125% tariff rate on all U.S. imports over reported concerns about the economic impact of the steep levies—imposed as a tit-for-tat response against Washington’s “reciprocal” tariffs—in a move that could echo a similar carve out for certain items like Chinese-made smartphones and laptops implemented by the Trump administration earlier this month.
The Chinese government is reportedly planning to exempt certain items from its 125% tit-for-tat … More
Key Facts
Citing an anonymous source, Reuters reported the Chinese Commerce Ministry task force is working on a list of U.S. imports that could be exempted from tariffs and has asked companies to submit any requests they may have.
The report also cited American Chamber of Commerce in China President Michael Hart, who said Beijing was asking companies for details about items they import from the U.S. and “cannot find anywhere else.”
Earlier on Friday, Chinese financial news outlet Caijing reported tariffs on eight chip and semiconductor-related imports from the U.S. were being waived, but the duties would remain in place for memory chips.
The report said that companies that have already paid duties on the exempted items between April 10 and 24 would be allowed to request refunds.
According to Bloomberg, Chinese companies have also been sharing supposed tariff-exempt lists, which include import codes for “key chemicals and chip-making components,” while the Reuters report cited unverified lists on Chinese social media mentioning 131 product categories.
The commerce ministry and customs officials in China have not made any official announcements about the purported exemptions.
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Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2025/04/25/china-reportedly-wants-to-exempt-some-us-items-from-125-tariffs/