US administration’s recent decision to exempt various electronic devices from tariffs introduced earlier this month is not permanent, said commerce secretary Howard Lutnick on Sunday.
He clarified that these products would soon face “semiconductor tariffs,” expected to be implemented within “a month or two.”
Speaking at ABC news' 'This Week' programme, Lutnick said, "All those products are going to come under semiconductors, and they're going to have a special focus type of tariff to make sure that those products get reshored. We need to have semiconductors, we need to have chips, and we need to have flat panels -- we need to have these things made in America. We can't be reliant on Southeast Asia for all of the things that operate for us."
"So what [President Donald Trump's] doing is he's saying they're exempt from the reciprocal tariffs, but they're included in the semiconductor tariffs, which are coming in probably a month or two. So these are coming soon," he added.
"We can't be beholden and rely upon foreign countries for fundamental things that we need. So this is not like a permanent sort of exemption. He's just clarifying that these are not available to be negotiated away by countries. These are things that are national security that we need to be made in America," he said.
Meanwhile, China has called upon the States to "completely cancel" its reciprocal tariffs in a bid to "correct its mistakes". It described tariff exemptions a "small step" and added that the Asian nation was "evaluating the impact" of the decision.
"We urge the US to... take a big step to correct its mistakes, completely cancel the wrong practice of 'reciprocal tariffs' and return to the right path of mutual respect," a commerce ministry spokesperson said in a statement.
Trump administration on Saturday said that key electronic products—including smartphones, computers, solar cells, flat-panel TV displays, and semiconductor-based storage devices—would be exempt from the tariffs announced since April 2. As a result, these items would not be affected by the steep tariffs on Chinese imports or the broader 10% global tariff rate.
China and US remain locked in an escalating tariff war, sparked by Trump’s announcement of sweeping global duties earlier this month—culminating in a staggering 145% blanket tariff on Chinese goods. In response, China hit back with retaliatory import tariffs of 125% on US products. Though Trump later announced a 90-day tariff reprieve for most countries to calm shaken global markets, China was excluded from the exemption, further deepening the trade standoff.
He clarified that these products would soon face “semiconductor tariffs,” expected to be implemented within “a month or two.”
Speaking at ABC news' 'This Week' programme, Lutnick said, "All those products are going to come under semiconductors, and they're going to have a special focus type of tariff to make sure that those products get reshored. We need to have semiconductors, we need to have chips, and we need to have flat panels -- we need to have these things made in America. We can't be reliant on Southeast Asia for all of the things that operate for us."
"So what [President Donald Trump's] doing is he's saying they're exempt from the reciprocal tariffs, but they're included in the semiconductor tariffs, which are coming in probably a month or two. So these are coming soon," he added.
"We can't be beholden and rely upon foreign countries for fundamental things that we need. So this is not like a permanent sort of exemption. He's just clarifying that these are not available to be negotiated away by countries. These are things that are national security that we need to be made in America," he said.
Meanwhile, China has called upon the States to "completely cancel" its reciprocal tariffs in a bid to "correct its mistakes". It described tariff exemptions a "small step" and added that the Asian nation was "evaluating the impact" of the decision.
"We urge the US to... take a big step to correct its mistakes, completely cancel the wrong practice of 'reciprocal tariffs' and return to the right path of mutual respect," a commerce ministry spokesperson said in a statement.
Trump administration on Saturday said that key electronic products—including smartphones, computers, solar cells, flat-panel TV displays, and semiconductor-based storage devices—would be exempt from the tariffs announced since April 2. As a result, these items would not be affected by the steep tariffs on Chinese imports or the broader 10% global tariff rate.
China and US remain locked in an escalating tariff war, sparked by Trump’s announcement of sweeping global duties earlier this month—culminating in a staggering 145% blanket tariff on Chinese goods. In response, China hit back with retaliatory import tariffs of 125% on US products. Though Trump later announced a 90-day tariff reprieve for most countries to calm shaken global markets, China was excluded from the exemption, further deepening the trade standoff.
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