Following the October 31, 2025 meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Trump on November 4, 2025, issued two Executive Orders related to and reducing certain tariffs on China.
In the first Executive Order, President Trump modified duties on imports from China. In February and March 2025, in response to China’s failure to stop the flow of fentanyl to the United States, President Trump implemented ad valorem tariffs of 10%, which were then increased to 20%, on imports from China. In response to China’s recent pledge to end this flow of fentanyl, including efforts to control the shipment of certain precursor chemicals to North America, President Trump announced that he is reducing the tariff to 10% effective November 10, 2025. For additional background on this tariff, see Thompson Hine Updates of November 3, 2025, March 4, 2025, and February 3, 2025.
In the second Executive Order, President Trump modified the reciprocal tariff on imports from China. Starting in April 2025, with several subsequent modifications, President Trump implemented ad valorem tariffs of 34% on imports from China, which were briefly increased to 125% after China retaliated and then reduced to 10% after bilateral negotiations. Following China’s recent commitments to (1) eliminate current and proposed global export controls on rare earth elements and other critical minerals, (2) address its retaliation against U.S. semiconductor manufacturers and other major companies in the semiconductor supply chain, and (3) purchase U.S. agricultural goods, President Trump is suspending the heightened reciprocal tariffs on imports from China until November 10, 2026, but maintaining the baseline 10% reciprocal tariff through that date. For additional background on this tariff, see Thompson Hine Updates of November 3, 2025, May 12, 2025, April 10, 2025, and April 3, 2025.