Were Trump tariffs lifted on China? How tariffs affect Massachusetts depending on country‬

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President Donald Trump announced on May 12 that the U.S. and China agreed to lower the escalating tariff rates on trade for the next 90 days.

Chinese imports will face a 30% tariff in total, down from 145% on most goods. The Chinese government agreed to reduce their retaliatory tariffs down to 10% from the previously set 125%. The rates are expected to go into place by May 14, and the news sent the U.S. stock market soaring.

Trump has made tariffs a key point in his presidency, issuing reciprocal tariffs on a selection of countries to target what he considers to be unfair trading practices. Those were also paused in April, and most imports are now taxed at 10%.

What is a tariff? What are reciprocal tariffs?

Tariffs are taxes on foreign goods shipments to the U.S. They are paid by importers: in this case, American manufacturers or retailers. The cost is typically passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices.

Tariffs can create more demand for domestic manufacturers, but those companies are also part of the global supply chain and therefore also impacted by tariffs, experts have previously explained to Paste BN.

Reciprocal tariffs are the tariff rate “necessary to balance bilateral trade deficits between the U.S. and each of its trading partners,” according to the U.S. Trade Representative.

What were the tariffs on China before Trump took office?

Trump had imposed tariffs on goods from China in his first term, too. A timeline by nonpartisan tax policy nonprofit the Tax Foundation, those tariff orders in 2018 and 2019 show a similar on-again, off-again pattern.

President Joe Biden kept many of Trump's tariffs in place, and even increased on targeted items such as Chinese electric vehicles and syringes.

Those have stayed in place as Trump has added steeper rates on top of it. At one point, the White House released a figure indicating that tariffs on Chinese imports were up to 245% on some goods with the new tariffs and Biden administration tariffs together.

The deal announced May 12 only applies to the reciprocal tariffs, meaning earlier announced tariffs are still in place.

What does the US export to China?

The U.S. exported $144 billion worth of products to China in 2024, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Of that $144 billion, $125 billion were products grown, produced or manufactured in the U.S. (the rest being foreign goods re-exported to China).

These are the top 10 types of products the U.S. exported to China, according to domestically produced export data from the U.S. International Trade Commission.

• Mineral fuel and oil: $13.38 billion, 11% of total exports to China
• Grains, seeds and fruits: $13.35 billion, 11% of total exports to China
• Electrical machinery and TV parts: $11.49 billion, 9% of total exports to China
• Nuclear reactor parts and mechanical appliances: $10.47 billion, 8% of total exports to China
• Aircraft parts: $10.2 billion, 8% of total exports to China
• Optical and photographic parts: $8.92 billion, 7% of total exports to China
• Plastics: $7.17 billion, 6% of total exports to China
• Vehicle parts and accessories: $6.14 billion, 5% of total exports to China
• Pharmaceutical products: $4.99 billion, 4% of total exports to China
• Organic chemicals: $3.88 billion, 3% of total exports to China

What does Massachusetts export to China? Which country does Massachusetts export the most products to?

According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, Massachusetts exported $34.9 billion in 2024, making it the 19th-largest exporter state in the United States.

As of February 2025, the top exports of Massachusetts were gold ($490 million), vaccines, blood, antisera, toxins and cultures ($178 million), medical instruments ($175 million), centrifuges ($116 million), and machines and apparatuses used for things like semiconductors ($116 million.)

Massachusetts’ top export, gold, goes mostly to China. But China isn't the top export destination for Massachusetts in total; instead, it's the United Kingdom at $451 million.

Massachusetts’ top export destinations are:

1. United Kingdom ($451 miillion)
2. Mexico ($269 million)
3. Canada ($211 million)
4. China ($193 million)
5. Germany ($151 million)

What does the U.S. import from China?

In 2024, the U.S. imported $438 billion worth of goods from China, according to Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

These are the top 10 types of products the U.S. imported from China, according to data from the U.S. International Trade Commission:

• Electrical machinery and TV parts: $124.97 billion, 28% of total imports from China
• Nuclear reactor parts and mechanical appliances: $82 billion, 18% of total imports from China
• Toys, games and sports equipment: $30.03 billion, 7% of imports from China
• Plastics: $19.29 billion, 4% of total imports from China
• Furniture, lamps and pre-fabricated buildings: $18.52, 4% of total imports from China
• Vehicles: $16.85 billion, 4% of total imports from China
• Iron and steel: $11.98 billion, 3% of total imports from China
• Optical and photographic parts: $11.88 billion, 3% of total imports from China
• Clothing: $9.99 billion, 2% of total imports from China
• Shoes: $9.78 billion, 2% of total imports from China

What does Massachusetts import from China? Which country does Massachusetts import the most products from?

According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, Massachusetts imported $42.2 billion, making it the 17^th-largest importer in the United States.

As of February 2025, the top imports of Massachusetts were other precious metal products ($576M), refined petroleum ($330M), medical instruments ($230M), orthopedic appliances ($166M), and petroleum gas($158M).

Massachusetts imports mostly from Canada, at $924 million.

Massachusetts imports the most from:

1. Canada ($924M)
2. Switzerland ($537M) 
3. Mexico ($341M) 
4. China ($248M)
5. Germany ($210M)