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Donald Trump’s administration has applied a very special exemption to reciprocal tariffs announced The last days. Thus, mobile phones, computers and some other consumer electronics products “are fought”. Importing them to the United States will not make 10%global tariffs apply, nor China’s specific ones, which are 125%.
What products are exempt. The note published by the US Customs Department almost without making noise is especially important, and makes a list of HTSUS codes (Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States) that include different types of electronic products. Among them, exemptions affect:
- 8471: PCS of desktop, laptops and its components, such as CPUS, hard or I/O peripheral discs as monitors (8528.52.00), mice and keyboards
- 8517.13.00: smartphones
- 8517.62.00: Routers, modems, wireless access points
- 8523.51.00: SSD units
- 8524: CDS and DVDS Regrabable
- 8541.49.10 and 8541.49.70: Solar panel cells
- 8541.49.80: LEDs
- 8542: microprocessors, controllers, memory chips and other integrated circuits
But they are temporary exemptions. As they point out In Financial TimesUS Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, made it clear that these exemptions are temporary. All these products will be part of the semiconductor tariffs, “which will probably arrive in a month or two.”
Trump denies that this are exemptions. In his social network Truth, Donald Trump He also stood out That what was announced on Friday were no exceptions to tariffs and made it clear that these products are still subject to 20% rates related to the fentanil. “What has been stated is that we need to manufacture products in the United States, and that we will not be hostages from other countries, especially hostile commercial nations such as China, which will do everything in their hand to disrespect the US people,” he added in his statement.
Dodging price increases. The measure is clearly aimed at avoiding notable price increases in semiconductors, mobiles and consumer electronics products, especially considering that a vast majority of those sold in the United States They come from China. The impact for consumers can be very important, and these temporary exemptions reduce concern for the future of these products and their prices and protect strategic sectors.
The iPhone as a great example. Some analysts estimate that the price of the iPhone in the United States It could triple If the cost of tariffs ends up moving to consumers. Apple smartphones are one of the clear examples of how tariffs would affect US consumers first and the rest of the world later.
The climb of reciprocal tariffs between the US and China has been spectacular in recent weeks. Source: Reuters
China as a US factory. According to Counterpoint Research dataChina represents 80% of the iPhone production sold in the United States. The remaining 20% are manufactured in India, a country in which Apple is gradually growing in production precisely to avoid the dependence of China. The Cupertino company in fact fought several aircraft full of iPhone From India to try to have some margin of maneuver if tariffs came into force. Exemptions also disappear the “basic” 10% tariff that applied globally and included countries such as India. These exemptions are also partly the tacit recognition to manufacture the iPhone in the US It is practically impossible.
Business pressure. The impact of tariffs has been especially remarkable for Big Tech, which have collapsed in the stock market in recent weeks. All of them depend largely on China’s production capacity, and these exemptions are also an acceptance (at least temporary) that changing things and mitigating Chinese dependence will take a long time.
No official explanation. The US government did not explanations about the reason why it applied these exemptions, but it is evident that This is a big respiteeven if it is temporary, for companies such as Apple, Nvidia, Dell, or HP, which import a good part of their products from China.
A war without winners. As they point out In axiosChinese President Xi Jinping stressed that a war of tariffs “will not produce any winner.” China indicated that I was evaluating the impact of these exemptions. In a statement last Sunday, the Chinese Ministry of Trade Califified the measure as “a small US step to correct its wrong practice of establishing ‘unilateral reciprocal tariffs.”
How will we be next week? Democrate Senator Elizabeth Warren appeared in a debate In CNN to describe the confusion that exists about tariffs. He indicated that “investors will not invest in the US with Donald Trump playing” red light, green light “with tariffs and saying” Oh, and For my special donors, you have special exemptions“. He also highlighted how the situation is impresable.” No one can imagine what the rules will be within five days, much less in five years. “
Image | Gage Skidmore
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