Trump's tariff hike brings added China rate for many goods to 145%

U.S. President Donald Trump's steep tariff hike targeting Chinese goods, which took effect Thursday, brings Washington's additional rate on many products to 145 percent, the White House confirms.

Trump's 90-day halt in fresh duties for dozens of countries has come into place, a White House order showed.

But he has also doubled down by raising new tariffs on Chinese imports to 125 percent, a figure that stacks atop a 20 percent additional duty from earlier in the year over China's alleged role in the fentanyl supply chain.

This takes the total tariffs Trump has imposed on Chinese products this year to 145 percent, stacking on existing levies from past administrations.

But the latest 125 percent figure on China, aimed at addressing practices Washington has deemed unfair, contains notable exclusions.

It excludes products like steel and aluminum imports, as well as autos, on which Trump slapped separate 25 percent tariffs under separate regimes.

The number also does not apply to goods such as copper, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, lumber, and energy products -- some of which Trump has signaled plans to target separately, too.

All of this paints a more complicated picture of tariff levels, even as tensions soar between Washington and Beijing.

AFP