The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has announced that smartphones, laptops, and several other tech products will be excluded from the Trump administration’s so-called “reciprocal tariffs” — including the steep 125% duties on goods imported from China. This could be the first sign of easing tensions in the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China.
The exemption list, released on Friday, includes 20 categories of goods. One of the main tariff codes, 8471, covers a wide range of tech items such as computers, laptops, hard drives, and data processing devices. It also includes semiconductors, memory chips, and flat-panel displays.
This move is seen as good news for major tech companies like Apple that rely heavily on Chinese manufacturing.
The White House hasn’t commented on the decision yet.
But the exemption suggests that the Trump administration is starting to recognize the impact these high tariffs have had on American consumers — especially when it comes to popular products like smartphones, laptops, and other everyday electronics.
Daniel Ives, a senior equity analyst at Wedbush Securities, called the exemption “the best possible news for tech investors.”
In a report quoted by AFP, Ives said: “Lifting tariffs on computers, smartphones, and chip-making equipment removes a big cloud hanging over the tech sector — at least for now.”
He also warned that without these exemptions, “the U.S. tech industry could fall a decade behind, and progress in AI could slow down significantly.”
This decision comes just as China’s 125% retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods officially took effect on Saturday — showing that Beijing is taking a firm stance in the trade dispute.
Earlier this week, the Trump administration gave most countries a 90-day grace period under the “reciprocal tariffs” policy and lowered the rate to 10%. But China was not included in that revision.
