U.S. Tariffs Update – April 8, 2025

In response to the reciprocal tariff of 34% imposed on Chinese imports announced by President Trump on April 2, 2025, and coming into effect on April 9, 2025, China announced 34% tariffs on all U.S. imports, which will take effect on April 10, 2025.

China took other retaliatory measures on April 4, 2025, via its Ministry of Commerce, Customs and the State Administration of Market Regulation, stating that China would:

1. Impose export control measures on certain rare earth related items, including, Samarium, Gadolinium, Terbium, Dysprosium, Lutetium, Scandium and Yttrium;
2. Include 16 U.S. companies on the export control list and ban the export of dual-use items to them;
3. Add 11 U.S. companies on the unreliable entity list and ban their imports and exports relating to China and any new investments in China;
4. Launch industrial competitiveness investigation into imported CT medical tubes;
5. Launch an anti-dumping probe into imports of certain CT medical tubes from the United States and India;
6. Suspend six U.S. companies’ export qualifications to China;
7. Launch an anti-monopoly probe into DuPont China; and
8. Initiate a formal complaint against the new U.S. tariffs with the World Trade Organization (WTO) claiming violation of WTO rules and requesting consultations.

On Monday April 7, 2025, President Trump responded that the U.S. Administration will put an additional 50% tariff on China (bringing the total for most products to 104%) if Beijing does not withdraw its recently announced 34% retaliatory duties on the United States by Tuesday April 8, 2025, and also threatened to terminate all requested talks with China. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also indicated that while the administration is open to “meaningful negotiations” with some countries, China’s retaliatory stance sets it apart, suggesting no immediate deal is expected.

We are assisting our clients in analyzing the applicability of the tariffs to their unique situations and helping them prepare for first- and second-order effects. For more information, contact Robert Oberlies, Michael Meagher or Jackson Guo.