US finalizes tariff hikes on Chinese EVs, steel, aluminum imports

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on September 13 confirmed steep tariff hikes on a range of Chinese imports, including a 100% duty on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), a 50% duty on solar cells, and a 25% duty on steel, aluminum, EV batteries, and key minerals.

According to the USTR, these tariffs aim to strengthen protections for strategic U.S. industries, and tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum imports will officially take effect on September 27.

Additionally, a 50% duty on Chinese semiconductors - now extended to cover silicon wafers and polysilicon used in solar panels - will begin on January 1, 2025.

This action concludes a more than two-year review of tariffs initially imposed under former President Donald Trump. Most of the tariff increases, first outlined in May by President Joe Biden, remained unchanged.

As Mysteel previously reported, these tariffs were initially set to go into effect on August 1. However, the final decision was delayed to September 13 by the White House, following a review of over 1,100 public comments.

On September 5, a spokesperson from China's Ministry of Commerce criticized the tariffs, citing that most U.S. public comments opposed the increases or called for more exemptions on additional products.

Written by Adele Pan, panqinjie@mysteel.com

Edited by Alyssa Ren, rentingting@mysteel.com