The United States began Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods in 2018 and China retaliated, leading to the 2020 Phase One deal. In 2025 rates on each side passed 100% before a Geneva pause and an October truce in Busan, and after the US Supreme Court ruled in 2026 that the emergency powers law does not authorise tariffs, the two governments extended the truce and listed goods for tariff cuts.
The truce agreed in Busan in October 2025 was extended in September 2026, with China's rare earth export restrictions delayed until January 10, according to Al Jazeera, and on September 28 the two governments released lists of about $30 billion of goods each for tariff cuts. The Supreme Court ruling did not cover Section 301 tariffs, which CSIS said added 12.5% to tariffs on Chinese goods in July 2026, and a Section 301 overcapacity investigation covering China is pending.
The US Trade Representative, under President Donald Trump, opened an investigation into whether Chinese government policies on technology transfer, intellectual property and innovation burden US commerce.
A 25% additional duty took effect on Chinese goods in 818 tariff lines worth about $34 billion a year, the first tranche of tariffs on about $50 billion of imports.
China put tariffs on a similar value of US goods. A commerce ministry spokesperson said China had been forced to respond.
USTR imposed a 10% additional duty on a further list of Chinese goods worth about $200 billion a year, set to rise to 25% on January 1, 2019.
After a dinner with Xi Jinping at the G20 summit, Trump agreed to delay for 90 days the planned rise to 25% to allow negotiations, the White House said.
USTR raised the duty on the September 2018 list of Chinese goods from 10% to 25%.
The Commerce Department added Huawei and its non-US affiliates to the Entity List, restricting US exports to them, citing national security and foreign policy interests.
The Treasury Department designated China a currency manipulator. The BBC described the move as largely symbolic because trade talks and tariffs were already in place.
The two governments signed an economic and trade agreement in Washington under which China committed to buy at least $200 billion more in US goods and services than in 2017.
The administration of President Joe Biden issued export controls cutting China off from certain advanced chips and chipmaking tools made with US technology.
China's commerce ministry said exports of gallium and germanium, used in chips, would need special permission from August 1, 2023.
Biden announced higher Section 301 tariffs on about $18 billion of Chinese goods, including a 100% tariff on electric vehicles.
China's commerce ministry banned exports of gallium, germanium and antimony to the United States, a day after new US curbs on China's chipmaking, citing national security.
In his second term, Trump ordered an additional 10% duty on all Chinese goods under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, citing the synthetic opioid supply chain, effective February 4, 2025.
China announced 15% tariffs on US coal and liquefied natural gas and 10% on crude oil, farm equipment and some vehicles from February 10, plus export controls on some critical minerals.
Trump raised the fentanyl-related duty on Chinese goods to 20%, according to a later executive order describing the step.
Trump announced a 34% reciprocal tariff on Chinese goods on top of the 20% fentanyl duty.
China's finance ministry announced a 34% tariff on all US goods from April 10, and the commerce ministry put export controls on several medium and heavy rare earths.
Trump amended the reciprocal tariff order in response to China's announced retaliation, raising the rate on Chinese goods from 34% to 84%, according to the later order that replaced that figure.
The State Council Tariff Commission announced an 84% tariff on US goods in response to the April 8 US order, according to the US order that followed.
Trump raised the reciprocal tariff on Chinese goods to 125% from April 10, while pausing higher rates for most other countries. The administration confirmed to CNBC that the total rate on Chinese imports was effectively 145%.
China raised its tariffs on US goods from 84% to 125%, the finance ministry said.
After talks in Geneva, both governments agreed to suspend 24 percentage points of their reciprocal tariffs for 90 days, keeping 10%, and to remove the later increases.
Trump extended the suspension of the higher reciprocal tariff on China until November 10, 2025, citing ongoing discussions.
China announced expanded export controls on rare earths and related technology, including a broader list of minerals.
Trump said he would impose an additional 100% tariff on China from November 1, calling China's export control plan hostile.
Meeting in Busan, South Korea, Trump and Xi agreed that the US would ease tariffs and China would resume buying US soybeans, delay its new rare earth controls and act on fentanyl, according to both governments' accounts.
Trump cut the fentanyl duty from 20% to 10% from November 10, 2025 and kept the higher reciprocal tariff on China suspended until November 10, 2026.
China's commerce ministry said the US would remove 10 percentage points of fentanyl tariffs and suspend the 24% reciprocal tariff for another year, and that China would adjust its countermeasures accordingly.
In Learning Resources v. Trump, decided with Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, the Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorise the president to impose tariffs, covering the fentanyl-related and reciprocal duties on Chinese goods. A same-day executive order ended collection of those duties.
Hours after the ruling, Trump proclaimed a temporary 10% import surcharge on all trading partners under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, effective February 24 for 150 days.
China's commerce ministry noted that the US had stopped collecting the emergency tariffs but imposed the 10% surcharge, said it was monitoring planned Section 301 and 232 investigations and reserved the right to respond.
Trump held a summit with Xi in Beijing. The White House said China agreed to buy at least $17 billion of US farm goods a year until 2028, while China's account did not give a figure, NPR reported.
On July 23, as the Section 122 surcharge neared its July 24 expiry, USTR announced Section 301 tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on 60 trading partners for failing to enforce bans on goods made with forced labour. CSIS said the action added 12.5% to tariffs on Chinese goods, and a separate overcapacity investigation covering China was still in progress.
As Xi arrived in Washington, the Trump administration announced that the two sides had agreed to extend the October 2025 truce, which Al Jazeera reported delayed China's rare earth export restrictions until January 10.
Trump welcomed Xi at the White House for the first state visit by a Chinese leader in 11 years and the third meeting of the two in less than a year.
The two governments released lists of nonsensitive goods worth about $30 billion on each side for tariff cuts, AP reported. USTR said the lists were recommended by a new US-China Board of Trade. China's commerce ministry said over 90% would face most-favoured-nation rates. Chips, electric vehicles and batteries were not covered.
| First tariffs | July 6, 2018, 25% on about $34 billion of Chinese goods |
| Phase One deal | Signed January 15, 2020 |
| 2025 peak | US 125% reciprocal plus 20% fentanyl duty, China 125% |
| Geneva pause | May 12, 2025 |
| Busan truce | October 30, 2025, extended in September 2026 |
| Supreme Court | Learning Resources v. Trump, No. 24-1287, decided February 20, 2026, 6 to 3 |
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Last updated 31 October 2026. Spotted an error? See corrections. Every event links to the record it comes from. Allegations are attributed to whoever made them.