The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued an amended notice on 24 April 2025 announcing additional duties on products from China and Hong Kong following President Donald Trump’s Executive Orders 14256, 14259, and 14266.
The notice was published in the Federal Register on 28 April 2025. These executive orders claim to target the synthetic opioid supply chain and adjust reciprocal tariff rates.
The announcement also introduces updates to the Harmonised Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) to incorporate these changes.
Executive orders
- Executive Order 14256 (2 April 2025) removes the de minimis exemption for products from China and Hong Kong and sets new duty rates for international postal packages to the US.
- Executive Order 14259 (8 April 2025) raises duty rates to prevent tariff circumvention; and
- Executive Order 14266 (15 April 2025) further increases duty rates in response to trading partner retaliation and for alignment.
Duty rates
Products worth USD 800 or less sent via international post from China or Hong Kong will face either a 120% ad valorem duty or a specific duty of USD 100 per item (effective 2 May 2025) and USD 200 per item (effective 1 June 2025).
Implementation dates
- The amendments take effect for products consumed or withdrawn from warehouses from 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on 2 May 2025.
- For postal items, the specific duty rates apply to goods consumed from 2 May 2025 and 1 June 2025.
Earlier, on 2 April 2025, the Trump Administration imposed two rounds of 10% tariffs on all Chinese imports, alongside a 10% baseline tariff on imports from all countries. These measures also introduced reciprocal tariffs targeted at nations with significant trade deficits with the U.S., including China.
Later, President Donald Trump postponed the tariffs for 90 days—except those affecting China. The administration then escalated its stance, announcing plans to implement a steep 145% tariff specifically on Chinese imports. In response, Beijing retaliated by raising tariffs on US imports to 125%, further intensifying trade tensions.
However, China has reportedly exempted some US imports from its 125% tariffs and is asking companies to identify essential goods for exemption. The Trump administration has also signalled a willingness to ease the trade war between the two largest economies.
