'Correct your mistakes': China demands US ‘completely cancel’ Trump’s reciprocal tariffs after electronics exemption

China on Sunday (April 13) called on the United States to fully withdraw its reciprocal tariffs, following a recent move by Washington to lift import duties on certain consumer electronics such as smartphones and laptops.

In a statement released on Sunday, China’s commerce ministry said, “We urge the US to... take a big step to correct its mistakes, completely cancel the wrong practice of 'reciprocal tariffs' and return to the right path of mutual respect.”

The ministry described the partial exemption as only a “small step,” saying the decision to lift tariffs on some tech products did not go far enough in fixing what it called Washington’s “wrongdoing”.

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Quoting a Chinese proverb, the ministry added, “The bell on a tiger's neck can only be untied by the person who tied it,” calling on the United States to take full responsibility and cancel the levies altogether.

US eases tariffs on tech products

On Saturday, the administration of President Donald Trump announced that smartphones, laptops and other electronics would be excluded from previously imposed tariffs. The decision offers major relief to tech companies such as Apple and Dell that depend heavily on imported components.

The exemptions cover 20 product categories under the broad 8471 tariff code, which includes computers, laptops, disc drives, semiconductors, memory chips and flat panel displays. These changes apply retroactively from 5 April at 12:01 a.m. EDT.

The notice, issued by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, did not give a reason for the decision. However, it also lifts the 10% “baseline” tariffs that affected electronics from countries other than China, such as semiconductors from Taiwan and Apple’s iPhones made in India.

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China says it’s reviewing impact

Responding to the exemptions, a spokesperson from China’s commerce ministry said, “China is now evaluating the impact.” The country criticised the original 145% tariffs introduced during Trump’s earlier trade clampdown, urging the U.S. to reverse course completely.

When asked on Saturday about the tariff rollbacks and future semiconductor policy, Trump said, “I’ll give you that answer on Monday. We’ll be very specific on Monday... we’re taking in a lot of money, as a country, we’re taking in a lot of money.”

(With inputs from agencies)