After the China-US trade deal, what tariffs will exporters actually pay?

With the United States and China agreeing to lower tariff rates after bilateral trade talks held over the weekend in Switzerland, the triple-digit duties imposed since April have been significantly reduced.

The headline changes seem simple enough: for the next 90 days, Chinese goods shipped to the US will be subject to at least 30 per cent in tariffs, and American exports will receive a minimum 10 per cent in duties, down from the respective 145 and 125 per cent rates levelled in the wake of the “Liberation Day” tariff package unveiled by US President Donald Trump on April 2.

But these rates do not include previous tariffs, held over from the first iteration of the trade war during Trump’s initial White House term, nor do they factor in other duties on specific goods and categories of products.

To help sift through the morass, we have summarised the new tariffs, how they stack with earlier duties and predict their potential impact on Chinese manufacturers and exporters.

What is the new effective tariff rate?

While specific tariff levels for Chinese exporters will vary depending on the product, the baseline rate is about 50 per cent according to estimates from financial institutions and comments from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

That 50 per cent rate is derived by adding the around 20 per cent in tariffs imposed during Trump’s first term – a figure given by Bessent in an interview on Monday – plus the 30 per cent in new duties still in force after last weekend’s agreement.

South China Morning Post