Trump announces 90-day halt on new tariffs but hikes existing China tariff rates to 125%.

Washington, Apr 9 ,2025 : U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a 90-day suspension on the imposition of new tariffs, effective from midnight. However, he made a notable exception for China, increasing tariffs on imports from the country to a staggering 125 percent.

Sharing the update on his microblogging platform Truth Social, Trump revealed that over 75 nations have reached out to U.S. officials to discuss matters related to trade, tariffs, and economic barriers.

He emphasized that these countries, “upon my strong urging,” have refrained from retaliating against the U.S. despite Washington’s implementation of reciprocal trade duties.

“Considering that more than 75 nations have contacted representatives from the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to negotiate resolutions on issues like trade practices, tariffs, currency manipulation, and non-monetary barriers—and that these countries have not retaliated in any manner—I am authorizing a 90-day PAUSE,” Trump wrote.

He also announced a temporary reduction in reciprocal tariffs to 10 percent during this period, effective immediately.

In a sharp escalation of his trade standoff with Beijing, Trump declared a steep hike in tariffs on Chinese imports to 125 percent.

“Due to the continued disregard China has shown for global market norms, I am immediately raising the tariff on Chinese goods to 125%. I hope China soon understands that exploiting the U.S. and other nations is no longer viable or acceptable,” he added.