It’s climbing. Since his return to the White House in January, Donald Trump has continued to increase customs duties on Chinese products imported into the United States. Between April 7 and 9, the Trump administration brought customs tariffs against China at 104 %. In return, Beijing increased them to 84 %, before Trump replied by raising them to 145 %. On April 11, China in turn imposed customs duties of 125 %.
For the United States, the operation is not an easy task: according to geopolitical journalist Ben Norton, 17.1 % of American imports come from China. The repercussions should not be long overdue. In the first half of 2025 already, the American economy contracted 0.3 % (the Grand Continent), while it was at a growth rate of 2.4 % at the end of 2024, the Commerce Department reported on Wednesday 30 April. Regardless, the stormy American president sticks to protectionism.
Chinese economy in fog
If the United States goes out of uncertain days, China also suffers from this customs crescendo, the two powers being for each other of important business partners-during the first 11 months of 2024, Chinese exports to the United States represented more than $ 400 billion (386 billion euros), according to American figures, placing China in the second rank North American country, behind Mexico (gross). According to Ben Norton, exports to the United States represent 14.7 % of total Beijing exports.
Xi Jinping’s country officially posted a growth of 5 % in 2024, in accordance with its announced objective, but many economists question these figures. Some believe that Beijing Suretime of 2 to 3 points, recalls the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
Not that national experts can open up to the government of the People’s Republic: in 2023, economist Gao Shanwen estimated that real Chinese growth was around 2 %. It was sanctioned and prohibited from public speaking.
It is difficult to obtain credible information on the real state of the Chinese economy, already impacted by a real estate market in the midst of a crisis, and a record unemployment rate (displayed at 21.3 % by officials, but estimated at 46.5 % by an economist at the University of Beijing interviewed by the WSJ).
-Economic information dissemination channels are one by one muzzle. For example: in April 2024, the Shanghai and Shenzhen scholarships ceased to publish the data in real time on foreign investment flows, officially to align with international standards.
A cat and mouse game at the bottom of
An indicator of Chinese distress could however be on the documents accompanying the containers which every day leave the Chinese ports to reach the United States. The Financial Times (FT) has examined offers from Chinese suppliers of chemicals and packaging for small American companies, offering “acquitted” rights – a process known as DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) which allows the exporter to take care of customs duties.
This system would allow Chinese exporters to drastically reduce the cost of duties by voluntarily undervaluating the shipped goods, or by modifying their description to reduce the taxes due.
We see more and more factories in China offering to pay customs duties for companies, then sell them goods in the United States at prices lower than the rights should normally be.
– Ryan Petersen, CEO of the Flexport logistics platform, at the FT
The dodge of customs duties, if it makes it possible to artificially maintain the purchasing power of American consumers, will invariably harm competition which “plays the game” of import taxes on Chinese products. Consequently, certain weakened American traders face a dilemma to survive the 145 % of Donald Trump: cut their budget, or participate in fraud.
