Section 301 Summary and Timeline
From tariff increase, to retaliatory action, back to more tariff increases, and so on, we’ve got the low down on the U.S.-China Trade Dispute.
Download our PDF or check out below. You can also get all the up-to-date happenings from our Industry News and subscribe to our mailing list to receive weekly and breaking updates.
Summary
| List | Est. Value | Tariff Rate | Effective Date | Last Update |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| List 1 |
$34 billion |
25% |
July 6, 2018 |
July 6, 2018 – Effective date for List 1 products, imposing a 25% tariff on $34 billion of Chinese imports. |
| List 2 |
$16 billion |
25% |
August 23, 2018 |
August 23, 2018 – Effective date for List 2 products, imposing a 25% tariff on $16 billion of Chinese imports. |
| List 3 |
$200 billion |
25% |
September 24, 2018 |
May 31, 2019 – USTR announces List 3 goods shipped prior to May 10, 2019 will not be subject to tariff increase (from 10 to 25%) if they arrive before June 15, 2019. (link) |
| List 4a | $300 billion | 15% |
September 1, 2019 |
September 1, 2019 – Effective date for List 4A products, imposing a 15% tariff on part of $75 billion of Chinese imports outlined in List 4. |
| List 4b |
December 15, 2019 |
Timeline
- August 14, 2017 — U.S. President Donald Trump orders “Section 301” probe into alleged Chinese intellectual property theft.
- January 22 – March 8, 2018 — President Trump imposes tariffs on all imported washing machines and solar panels. These tariffs apply to all imports, not just those from China.
- March 8, 2018 — President Trump imposes tariffs at 25% on steel imports and 10% on aluminum. Again, these tariffs apply to all imports, not just those from China.
- April 2-4, 2018 — China imposes tariffs of up to 25% on $3 billion of U.S. products.
- President Trump proposes 25% tariff on $50 billion of Chinese imports.
- China responds with plans for retaliatory tariffs imposed at 25% on $50 billion of U.S. imports.
- June 20, 2018 — U.S. imposes List 1 tariffs with a 25% levy on $34 billion of Chinese imports.
- U.S. proposes List 2 tariffs with a 25% levy on $16 billion of Chinese imports.
- July 10, 2018— U.S. proposes List 3 tariffs with a 10% levy on $200 billion of Chinese imports.
- August 1, 2018 — President Trump announces a List 3 tariff increase from 10 to 25%.
- August 16, 2018 — U.S. officially releases List 2.
- China retaliates with 25% duties on $16 billion of U.S. imports.
- September 24, 2018 — U.S. indicates the List 3 tariff rate will increase to 25% on January 1, 2019.
- China retaliates with duties on $60 billion of U.S. imports.
- December 1, 2018 — U.S. and China agree to a 90-day halt on new tariffs.
- U.S. agrees to delay scheduled List 3 tariff increase until March.
- China agrees to buy a “very substantial” amount of U.S. products.
- May 13, 2019 — U.S. proposes List 4 tariffs with 25% levy on $300 billion of Chinese imports.
- China retaliates by increasing duties on $60 billion worth of U.S. imports.
- August 14, 2019 — USTR splits List 4 into List 4A and List 4B.
- August 23, 2019 — China announced it will impose tariffs ranging from 5 to 10% on $75 billion worth of U.S. goods.
- August 26, 2019 — President Trump retaliates announcing a 5% tariff increase on all Chinese imports and ordering all American companies to cease manufacturing in China
- October 11, 2019 — U.S. postpones 5% tariff increase on $250 billion of Chinese goods citing advancement in trade talks between the two nations. China agrees to purchase $50 billion worth of U.S. agricultural products.
