Reciprocal Tariffs: US President Donald Trump’s administration has exempted smartphones, computers, chips and other electronics from reciprocal tariffs, according to new guidance from US Customs and Border Protection.

The new tariff guidance includes exclusions for other electronic devices and components, including semiconductors, solar cells, flat panel TV displays, flash drives, memory cards and solid-state drives used for storing data.

The guidance comes after Trump earlier this month imposed 145% tariffs on products from China, a move that was poised to take a toll on tech firms like Apple, which makes iPhones and most of its other products in China.

The exclusions, which were published on Friday, narrow the scope of the levies by excluding the products from reciprocal tariffs on nearly all other countries.

Earlier on Wednesday, President Trump announced a 90-day pause on his reciprocal tariff plans for countries that chose negotiations over retaliation. In contrast, Trump has imposed a sweeping 125% tariff on all goods imported from China.

The US President, in a post on Truth Social, had said that following the announcement of reciprocal tariffs last week, more than 75 countries have approached the United States for negotiations and have not retaliated against the decision.

On April 2, the US President had announced his “reciprocal tariff" move, under which the US would impose tariffs on other countries amounting to roughly half the rate those nations charge the US. He imposed a 10% global tariff on dozens of countries and promised far steeper “reciprocal" tariffs on April 9 for nations he claims have “ripped off" America.

Source: News18