Listeners, you’re tuned in to China Tariff News and Tracker, where we break down today’s headlines and the latest developments shaping the US–China trade relationship.

It has been a turbulent year for US tariffs on China, with multiple announcements and rapid updates out of Washington. According to the Polymarket platform, the general tariff rate on imports from China stands under 25 percent—most recently at 10 percent for goods tied to fentanyl production, following the 90-day extension announced in August and the latest agreements between President Trump and China’s leadership.

Recent executive action by President Trump, reported by international trade law firms such as Husch Blackwell, reduced the fentanyl-related tariffs from 20 percent to 10 percent effective November 10, and also suspended earlier plans to hike reciprocal tariffs on China to 34 percent through November 2026. These adjustments are part of ongoing negotiations and are meant to incentivize China to curb the flow of synthetic opioids into the US.

However, tariffs remain significantly higher compared to previous years. Dorsey & Whitney LLP highlights that many Chinese-origin goods still carry a hefty 45 percent aggregate tariff rate when you factor in Section 301 tariffs from Trump’s first term and other actions. For some goods, that 45 percent includes the older 25 percent rate plus new “reciprocal” and fentanyl-related tariffs. Not all goods are covered equally: specific products, like those on certain Section 301 lists, may be subject to higher or lower rates depending on exclusions.

The backdrop to these numbers is a year-long standoff and escalation. Wikipedia details that in April, Trump imposed new reciprocal tariffs, sending baseline duties as high as 145 percent for Chinese goods at one point. Following stock market instability and strong pushback from US retailers, both Washington and Beijing began rolling back some of the steepest increases. In September, the average US tariff rate settled at 17.9 percent, still the highest level in a century. By October, President Trump used another round of tariff reductions as leverage in negotiations over Chinese purchases of US farm products and rare earth minerals access and in response to China’s export controls.

Both the White House and China’s Ministry of Transport recently signaled a willingness to avoid further escalations. The US agreed to soften terms for certain critical goods and postpone further hikes, while China suspended its retaliatory restrictions on rare earth exports and stepped up purchases of US soybeans. Still, trade analysts like those at First Trust Portfolios report China remains the US’s most tariffed trading partner in 2025, with an effective rate of over 40 percent for many categories, up from just over 10 percent as recently as 2024.

Listeners, these are just the headline numbers driving global supply chains and US consumer prices. The geopolitical landscape remains highly dynamic, with ongoing negotiations and the legal status of many tariffs still unsettled in the courts. We’ll continue to track official updates and how changes impact businesses and prices here and abroad.

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