Breakdown of U.S. tariffs on China since Trump’s first term

Billions of dollars of Chinese goods have been impacted by additional U.S. tariffs since 2018, initially under the first Donald Trump presidency and later under the Biden administration. Returning to the White House this year, Trump has imposed even more duties on China.

The U.S. tariffs range from those imposed under Section 301 of its trade act due to what Washington claims are unfair Chinese trade practices, to duties under Section 232 levied for national security reasons.

This year, Trump has imposed another 20% levies on all Chinese goods, saying Beijing has not done enough to stop the flow of fentanyl into the United States. So-called reciprocal tariffs, under which the U.S. will match duties imposed by other countries, have also been levied in a bid to rebalance trade flows.

Below are the U.S. tariffs on China effective as of June 12, 2025:

Tariff Rate Products Effective date

Reciprocal 10% All Paused for 90 days until Aug 10, 2025

Fentanyl 20% All Mar 4, 2025

Section Up to List 1: Pharmaceuticals, July 6, 2018 

301 25% iron and steel, aluminum, vehicles and aircraft, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus and more.

List 2: Vehicles, Aug 23, 2018 

railway or tramway locomotives, aircraft and their parts, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus and more.

List 3: Prepared May 10, 2019 

foodstuffs, beverages,  mineral products, fertilizers, wood products, textiles, precious and base metals, vehicles, aircraft, vessels, machinery and mechanical appliances and more.

List 4A: Prepared Feb 14, 2020 

foodstuffs, beverages,  mineral products, fertilizers, footwear, wood products, ceramic products, glass, textiles, precious and base metals, machinery and mechanical appliances, vehicles, aircraft, vessels, art,  antiques and more.

In September 2019, the U.S. imposed 15% tariffs on more than $120 billion of Chinese goods under Section 301, which it then halved to 7.5% less than six months later.

The 25% U.S. tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese goods under the earlier List 1-3 remain unchanged.

In September 2024, the U.S. Trade Representative under the Biden administration announced additional tariffs of 25-100% on 14 product groups following a four-year review of the Section 301 tariff actions. The levies were imposed on strategic Chinese sectors or sectors where the United States has made significant domestic investments.

Additional tariffs on goods under Section 301: Effective date EVs 100% Sep 27, 2024

Solar cells, syringes and 50% 

needles, Non-lithium-ion battery parts, 25%

lithium-ion electrical vehicle batteries, other critical minerals, ship-to-shore cranes, steel and aluminum products, facemasks 

Semiconductors 50% Jan 1, 2025

Lithium-ion non-electrical 25% Jan 1, 2026

vehicle batteries, medical gloves, natural graphite, permanent magnets 

In addition to the above duties, the first Trump administration in 2018 imposed a range of tariffs under Section 232 aimed at restricting goods deemed a threat to national security, including all aluminium and steel imports, shutting most Chinese suppliers out of the U.S. market.

(Reporting by Liz Lee and Ryan WooEditing by Shri Navaratnam)