No country 'off the hook': Trump says tariff exemptions will be short lived

This statement came after the US Customs and Border Protection said smartphones, laptops, and other electronics from China would not be included in the recent 145 per cent reciprocal tariffs

Taking a dig at US’ economic rivals, US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that no country, including China, would be getting ‘off the hook’ on tariffs, even though some electronic goods were given a temporary exemption. He made it clear that the relief is short-term and the trade fight with China is far from over.

 

“There was no Tariff ‘exception’ announced on Friday,” Trump said in a social media post on his platform Truth Social. “These products are subject to the existing 20 per cent Fentanyl Tariffs, and they are just moving to a different Tariff 'bucket,” Trump wrote. 

 

 

Trump’s statement came after the US Customs and Border Protection said smartphones, laptops, and other electronics from China would not be included in the recent 145 per cent reciprocal tariffs. The change was welcomed by US tech giants like Apple, Microsoft and others, which had feared the high tariffs would raise prices for customers.

 

New tariff rates on semiconductors next week?

 

The US President also announced on Sunday (local time) that he plans to reveal the tariff rate on imported semiconductors within the coming week. He also indicated there may be flexibility for certain companies in the sector.  

 

Donald Trump made the remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington from his estate in West Palm Beach.

 

‘NOBODY is getting off the hook’

 

However, Trump insisted that this is not a long-term solution. “NOBODY is getting ‘off the hook’ for the unfair Trade Balances, and Non Monetary Tariff Barriers, that other Countries have used against us,” he wrote. “We are taking a look at semiconductors and the WHOLE ELECTRONICS SUPPLY CHAIN,” Trump said. 

 

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also confirmed that more tariffs are coming soon. “Electronics are exempt from the reciprocal tariffs, but they’re included in the semiconductor tariffs, which are coming in probably a month or two,” he told ABC News.

 

Reducing the trade gap with China

 

Trump’s move is part of his larger plan to reduce the trade gap with China and protect important US industries like semiconductors. “This is about making products in America,” Trump added. “We will not be held hostage by other Countries, especially hostile trading Nations like China.”

 

While Trump’s decision to pause tariffs on some electronics helped stocks rise briefly on Monday, experts warn that the trade fight is far from over. 

 

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren said the situation is “chaos and corruption”. Meanwhile, China has urged the US to cancel all tariffs and warned that a “trade war and tariff war will produce no winner.”

 

Xi Jinping’s tour of South Asia

 

Chinese President Xi Jinping has begun his tour of Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, to build stronger trade ties in the region. In an article published during his trip, Xi said that protectionism “will lead nowhere” and called for open and fair trade.

 

Despite the criticism and global concern, Trump remains firm. “The bottom line is that our country will be bigger, better, and stronger than ever before,” he said. “We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!,” he said.