Trump warns China ‘not getting off the hook’ on US tariffs

U.S. President Donald Trump made it clear that no country, including China, will be exempt from his trade tariffs. This comes after his administration temporarily removed some high-tech products from the list of items affected by tariffs.

Although some items like smartphones and laptops were excluded from certain tariffs, Trump said they are still covered under a 20% import tax and will be moved to a different tariff category.

“We won’t let other countries, especially those like China, take advantage of us,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Speaking to reporters later, Trump announced that new tariffs on semiconductors (important computer parts) would be introduced soon—within the next week.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick added that the exemption for high-tech goods made in China is only temporary, and new tariffs on semiconductors will start within weeks.

China saw the exemptions as a positive move but urged the U.S. to remove all tariffs. So far, the U.S. has increased import taxes on Chinese goods to 145%, and China has hit back with 125% tariffs on American products.

On Friday, U.S. Customs listed 20 categories of high-tech products that are temporarily not affected by the “reciprocal” tariffs. These included semiconductors and computers.

However, some experts, like Deborah Elms from the Hinrich Foundation, pointed out that the U.S. now seems to be broadly labeling many products as “semiconductors,” which is unusual.

Trump’s shifting trade policies have confused businesses and investors, leading to uncertainty in the market. Daniel Ives, a financial analyst, said the constant changes are making it hard for companies to manage their operations.

Recently, Trump announced sweeping new tariffs, then paused most of them—except for China, which now faces even higher taxes. While the White House says Trump still wants a trade deal with China, it expects China to take the first step.

Despite the uncertainty, U.S. stock futures rose slightly on Sunday night, showing some hope in the markets.