Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has decided to exempt smartphones, computers, and several other electronic devices from a comprehensive set of reciprocal tariffs. This decision provides relief to tech giants like South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. and Apple Inc., along with other global technology firms.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on Saturday that select electronics, including smartphones, laptops, personal computers (PCs), servers, and semiconductor equipment, will be excluded from the reciprocal tariffs. These tariffs included the 125 percent levies on Chinese imports. The exclusions are set to apply retroactively from April 5.
The decision aims to alleviate concerns within the global tech industry regarding rising prices, given that many of these products are manufactured in China. Initially, Trump had planned to enforce significant reciprocal tariffs on most countries but opted for a 90-day pause last week. Instead, a global tariff of 10 percent has been imposed.
For Chinese imports, the exemption pertains only to the 125 percent reciprocal tariffs. However, existing duties of 20 percent on all Chinese imports, justified by Trump as a response to the U.S. fentanyl crisis, will continue to be enforced.