US exempts steep tariffs on key electronics from China

The US administration has announced exemptions from steep tariffs on key electronics, including laptops, smartphones, and related components predominantly imported from China.

This exemption, made public late Friday but retroactive to April 5, provides significant relief to major tech companies and consumers by mitigating potential price increases on essential devices.

The announcement came on the same day that China raised its additional tariffs on US goods from 84 percent to 125 percent in response to the 125 percent "reciprocal tariffs" levied by the US on Chinese imports.

Earlier, during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Tuesday, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said US President Donald Trump had "been clear" with him and others that he does not intend to offer exclusions and exemptions for his tariffs.

In a notice to shippers on Friday, the US Customs and Border Protection agency published a list of 20 categories of products excluded from the import taxes, which would otherwise be subjected to duties exceeding 100 percent.

On the top of the list is the HS (Harmonized System) Code 8471, a specific category of products related to automatic data processing machines and units, which include all computers, laptops and disc drives.

Total US imports from China under Code 8471 were valued at $85.88 billion in 2024, accounting for 19.1 percent of total US imports, according to official US statistics.

Also included in the list are smartphones, the top US import from China last year, totaling $41.7 billion, according to US Census Bureau data.

Dan Ives, a technology analyst on Wall Street for over two decades, called the exemptions "the massive relief for market and tech stocks heading into Sunday night".

"Finally the news US tech investors were dreaming of…chips/smartphones/computers exempt from tariffs. US Big Tech spoke and the White House made the right move at the right time," Ives, the Wedbush Securities analyst posted on X.

"We could see a tech rally for the ages on Monday. White House made the right move at the right time and this changes the entire narrative for Big Tech with these exemptions," he added.