Several Apple products, including the Apple Watch and AirPods headphones, will be excluded from the Trump administration’s next round of tariffs on Chinese products, according to a news report Monday. The White House is expected to announce 10 percent tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods this week.
The administration has been readying the additional tariffs for several months, having completed a public comment period on them earlier this month, allowing stakeholders to argue against them or request exemptions. Bloomberg reported Monday that one category of wireless devices that includes several Apple products would be excluded, citing two people familiar with the plan. Competitors that make similar products will also be excluded.
In a Sept. 5 letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Apple argued against tariffs, saying they would “increase the cost of Apple products that our customers have come to rely on in their daily lives.”
The $200 billion worth of tariffs will put the total amount of levies that this administration has hit China with at $250 billion. The tariffs covering the previous $50 billion worth of products were set at 25 percent. The administration has also placed tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum, both policies directed mainly at China.
Trump has threatened tariffs on a further $200 billion-$267 billion worth of Chinese goods. Beijing has hit back by placing tariffs of between 5 and 25 percent on $60 billion worth of U.S goods and has warned of additional responses.
Neither the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office or the Commerce Department could be reached for comment.
