The White House released the Executive Order 14258, by which the President of the United States orders a “90-day temporary suspension” of the country-specific tariffs established in the Executive Order 14257, “except for imports from the People’s Republic of China.”
According to the document, the decision responds to recent developments in global trade and aims to "strengthen U.S. strategic alliances" while "intensifying the response to hostile measures taken by Beijing."
125% tariffs on Chinese products
The measure follows the April 9 announcement by China's State Council Tariff Commission, which imposed an "84% tariff on all U.S.-origin imports," effective April 10.
In response, and within the framework of the "“State of trade emergency declared on April 2,” the US president ordered “to raise US tariffs on Chinese goods to 125% that same day,” modifying the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) through this new executive order.
Uniform tariff for strategic partners
OE 14258 also recognizes the progress of more than 75 business partners listed in Annex I of EO 14257—including, for example, the European Union (EU), which faces a 20% tariff—who “have initiated discussions to address imbalances in trade relations with the United States.”
As a sign of goodwill towards these countries, “a uniform tariff of 10% is established for all of them”, applicable between the April 10 and July 9, 2025.
Low-value imports from China
The order also introduces new restrictions on low-value imports from China, in order to prevent "evasions through e-commerce platforms":
- The tariff on low-value (de minimis) shipments is increased from 90% to 120%.
- The tariff applied to postal shipments containing merchandise rises from “USD 75 to USD 100” from the May 2th, Y de "USD 150 to USD 200” from June 1th, 2025.
These actions seek to protect domestic industry from what the government describes as "systemic industrial overproduction" and "repression of domestic manufacturing capacity" by China.
For more details, you can consult the full text of the April 9, 2025, executive order on the official White House website: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/modifying-reciprocal-tariff-rates-to-reflect-trading-partner-retaliation-and-alignment/
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