By Christian Datoc | Washington Examiner
President Donald Trump is leveraging a 145% tariff rate, higher than previously thought, on Chinese goods, according to White House officials.
Trump made headlines and shifted financial markets Thursday by announcing a 90-day pause on his reciprocal tariff agenda for all U.S. trading partners besides China, Canada, and Mexico.
Throughout the pause, the administration will seek to broker bilateral agreements with more than 80 trading partners now facing a 10% tariff rate for the next three months.
Canada and Mexico will still be subject to a 25% tariff rate for all non-USMCA-compliant goods, but the president bumped China’s tariff rate to 125% after Beijing placed new tariffs on American exports.
However, White House officials confirmed to the Washington Examiner Thursday that China’s effective rate now sits at 145%. The 125% tariff the president announced on Wednesday only factors in “reciprocal” escalations from China and will stack on top of the two 10% tariffs Trump placed on Beijing to pressure China into combating the flow of fentanyl into the United States.