Tariffs increased to 145% instead of 125%

This Thursday (April 10), local time,White House officials clarified to the media that the total tariff rate actually imposed by the United States on goods imported from China should be 145%.

Previously, on Wednesday (April 9), local time, Trump announced on his social media that in response to China's 50% tariff on imported goods from the United States, he would raise the tariff rate on Chinese goods imported from the United States again to 125%, which is a "reciprocal tariff" rate, which does not include the 20% tariff previously imposed on China due to fentanyl. Previously, the United States imposed 10% tariffs on Chinese goods on February 3 and March 4 local time on the grounds of the fentanyl incident.Therefore, the total tariff rate for imported goods from China in 2025 is 145%.

On April 9th ​​local time,The Trump administration has decided to suspend the implementation of the "reciprocal tariff" policy on 75 trading partners for 90 days and reduce the relevant tax rate to 10%.This "one plus one stop" tariff policy adjustment marks a major shift in the Trump administration's tariff strategy, that is, focus the main firepower on China from the global "reciprocal tariff" dispute.

Faced with high tariffs, the difficulties faced by foreign trade export companies have far exceeded the scope of suspending shipments and reducing bookings. The latest report from Hong Kong's South China Morning Post,With the sharp decrease in booking volume, some cargo owners have announced abandonment in the market.

According to reports, as Sino-US trade tensions intensify, some domestic exporters are forced to take extreme measures.Give up the goods during transportation and hand over the container directly to the shipping company to deal with it to avoid the high costs caused by sudden tariff increases.

An employee of a listed export company in China revealed that due to the impact of the United States imposing 104% tariff on some Chinese goods,The company's container transportation volume to the United States has dropped from 40 to 50 to 3 to 6 daily, with an overall tariff burden of about 136%.(Based on the latest tax rate on April 10).

The employee said: "The company has suspended all transportation plans from the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia, all factory orders are suspended, unshipped goods will no longer be shipped, and the cost of shipping goods needs to be recalculated." A customer of the company made it clear that it will give up the shipping goods and hand them over to the shipping company for processing, because "the goods will be left unattended after the tariff." The company's senior management urgently returned to China to deal with the order cancellation crisis and suspended all container business until the tariff policy is clear or alternative markets are found.

Importing companies also admitted:"The payment for goods is 3 million, but the tariff exceeds 3 million, so this business cannot be done."The sudden implementation of the "reciprocal tariff" policy by the Trump administration makes it difficult for importers to bear the high tariff costs. If they can negotiate with the shipper to share the tariffs, it can be barely maintained. However, in most cases, the tariff costs directly swallow up profits, and the importers ultimately choose not to pick up the goods or wait for the tariff sharing plan.

The latest news shows that EU diplomats said the EU is considering suspending its response to US tariffs for 90 days on April 15.

On the evening of April 9, the General Administration of Customs announced that from 12:01 on April 10, an 84% tariff will be imposed on imported goods from the United States.

On April 10, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian responded to the issue of the US imposing 125% tariffs on China, saying that the US uses tariffs as a tool for extreme pressure, seriously violating WTO rules and damaging the global economic order.China's countermeasures are to safeguard its own rights and interests and international fairness and justice, and there are no winners in tariff wars and trade wars. China is unwilling to fight, but it is not afraid of fighting. We will never sit idly by and watch the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese people be deprived, and we will never sit idly by and watch international economic and trade rules and multilateral trading systems be destroyed. If the US insists on fighting a tariff war and a trade war, China will definitely accompany it to the end.

At 15:00 p.m. that day, the Ministry of Commerce held a regular press conference. A reporter asked: "Trump announced that it would impose a 90-day tariff suspension on countries that do not take retaliatory actions, but raised tariffs on China to 125%, and perhaps even 150%. Will China continue to impose higher tariffs on the United States?" A spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce said: "I cannot comment on the hypothetical questions you raised. But what I want to emphasize is that there is no winner in the trade war and there is no way out for protectionism.If the US insists on doing its own thing, China will accompany you to the end. We will never accept the extreme pressure and bullying behavior of the United States, and will take resolute and powerful measures to defend our legitimate rights and interests. ”

In addition, in response to the issue of the US collecting mooring fees for ships related to China, Lin Jian said that Trump signed an executive order to charge mooring fees for ships flying Chinese flags, aiming to weaken China's shipping industry. China believes that China's shipbuilding industry development is the result of technological innovation and market competition, and contributes to the stability of global trade and supply chains. The US blames China for its own problems, lacks factual basis, and its unilateralism and protectionist practices are unpopular, which will harm the interests of all countries and will not revitalize the US shipbuilding industry.