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US eyes China overcapacity tariffs of 7.5% before Xi-Trump talks, Bloomberg News reports
The move would lift second-term duties on Chinese goods to about 20% as the White House tries to avoid derailing a planned summit, sources said.
On Monday, President Donald Trump's administration weighed a new 7.5% tariff on Chinese goods over alleged excess industrial capacity, a move that would raise total second-term duties on China to roughly 20% ahead of an upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Following a Supreme Court decision earlier this year that struck down broader reciprocal tariff plans, the administration initiated Section 301 investigations in March targeting Chinese manufacturing capacity as a narrower legal workaround.
Beijing's Ministry of Commerce recently released a report rejecting allegations of deliberate policy choices, while surging exports pushed China's trade surplus to a record of nearly $1.2 trillion last year.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Monday of new secondary sanctions targeting nations doing business with Iran; because China is Iran's biggest trade partner, these geopolitical pressures compound trade tensions.
This potential tariff follows 10% to 12.5% duties imposed last month on 60 economies accused of failing to enforce forced-labor bans, while the White House and Trade Representative declined to comment on current deliberations.
The declared tariff truce between Trump and Xi Jinping expires in November. It is expected that this issue will be addressed at your meeting next month in Washington.