U.S. and China to Begin Reducing Tariffs on May 14

The U.S. and China met in Geneva over the weekend of May 10th to attempt to negotiate a deal over the recent tariffs.

On Monday, May 12th, the White House announced a joint plan to begin deescalating tariffs, starting May 14. The statement said that both governments will be “moving forward in the spirit of mutual opening, continued communication, cooperation, and mutual respect,” and outlined in this May 12 fact sheet what both countries will do.

China will remove the retaliatory tariffs it announced since April 4, 2025, and will also suspend or remove the non-tariff countermeasures taken against the U.S. since April 2, 2025.

·    China will also suspend its initial 34% tariff on the U.S. it announced on April 4, 2025, for 90 days, but will retain a 10% tariff during the period of the pause.

The U.S. will remove the additional tariffs it imposed on China on April 8 and April 9, 2025, but will retain all duties imposed on China prior to April 2, 2025, including Section 301 tariffs, Section 232 tariffs, tariffs imposed in response to the fentanyl national emergency invoked pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, and Most Favored Nation tariffs. 

·    The U.S. will suspend its 34% reciprocal tariff imposed on April 2, 2025, for 90 days, but retain a 10% tariff during the period of the pause.

·    The 10% tariff "continues to set a fair baseline that encourages domestic production, strengthens our supply chains and ensures that American trade policy supports American workers first, instead of undercutting them," the Trump administration said.

The yellow highlighted below are the applicable tariffs for all other countries but CN.

Subject to Section 232 Steel/Aluminum/Auto-parts:

Section 301 CN tariff = 7.5-25%

Fentanyl CN/CAN/MX tariff = 20-25%

Reciprocal = 0%

Section 232 Steel/Aluminum/Auto-parts tariff = 25%

Antidumping/Countervailing Duties = ++

HTS Tariff = variable %

Not subject to Section 232 Steel/Aluminum/Auto-parts:

Section 301 CN tariff = 7.5-25%

Fentanyl CN/CAN/MX tariff = 20-25%

Reciprocal = 10%

Section 232 Steel/Aluminum/Auto-parts tariff = n/a

Antidumping/Countervailing Duties = ++

HTS Tariff = variable %

More can also be read on this here: Joint Statement on U.S.-China Economic and Trade Meeting in Geneva – The White House

IFF, Inc will monitor the upcoming guidance for implementation of this trade deal by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and provide updates as soon as they become available .

IFF, Inc will continue to keep members informed about U.S. tariffs through our eblasts and our dedicated Tariffs webpage on our website, Tariff Updates .