U.S. announces another tariff hike on Chinese exports to U.S. China Ministry of Commerce responds

President Donald Trump has said that as of March 4, he will not only impose 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico, but also another 10 percent tariff on China, according to the Wall Street Journal. The decision is a further trade pressure measure following the 10% tariffs already imposed on China earlier. In just one month, the U.S. tariff rate on China will climb to a cumulative 20%, a move that has undoubtedly intensified trade friction between the U.S. and China.

Prior to this, the U.S. has repeatedly taken trade protectionist measures against a number of countries, including China, triggering widespread concern and worry in the global market. This new tariff policy may not only affect the economic and trade relations between China and the United States, but also have a direct impact on China's cross-border e-commerce community.

I. Recent U.S. tariff policy changes

1, steel and aluminum core tariff escalation

① 25% tariff increase across the board

Since March 4, 2025, the U.S. imposed a uniform 25% tariff on all imported steel and aluminum products, eliminating the previous exemption policy for some countries (such as Canada, Mexico's duty-free quota). This measure covers steel and aluminum products from all source countries, including aluminum products previously taxed at 10%.

② Policy Background and Impact

The policy is based on the “national security” rationale of Section 232, which aims to protect U.S. domestic industries. However, studies have shown that downstream manufacturing industries (e.g., automotive, aerospace) will bear higher costs, and U.S. manufacturing jobs may be lost.

2. Expansion of steel and aluminum derivatives and related fields

① Emerging materials included in the scope of the levy increase

The scope of application of Article 232 may be extended to rare earths, lithium batteries, advanced chip materials and other strategic materials. China supplies 77% of the world's battery-grade graphite and 60% of rare earths, tariffs on related products will impact the new energy industry chain.

② tariff escalation in the field of science and technology

Article 301 added 10% additional tariffs on semiconductor raw materials, new energy battery components, superimposed on the original tariff rate, the total tariff rate of some science and technology products can be up to 35%.

③Derivatives tariff implementation rules

a. Declaration requirements: steel and aluminum derivatives need to use the 10-digit HTS code, misclassification will face fines (up to $10,000 for negligent violations and $100,000 for intentional violations).

b. Rules of origin: Re-exports involving China's value-added portion of goods are subject to retroactive tariffs.