in effect
This is a presidential executive order (EO 14259), signed April 8, 2025, that raises U.S. tariffs on goods from China. It was issued as a direct response to China announcing its own retaliatory tariff on U.S. goods, and it directs federal agencies to update the official U.S. tariff schedule and put the higher rates into effect.
The order more than doubles a China “reciprocal” tariff rate in the U.S. tariff schedule from 34% to 84%, effective 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on April 9, 2025. It also sharply raises the duties on low-value (“de minimis”) shipments from China: the percentage-based rate goes from 30% to 90%, and a flat per-package fee on items sent through the postal system goes from $25 to $75 for packages entering between May 2 and June 1, 2025, then from $50 to $150 for packages entering on or after June 1, 2025. These low-value changes tie into a separate order (EO 14256) that ends duty-free treatment for small China shipments starting May 2, 2025. The order names the Secretaries of Commerce and Homeland Security and the U.S. Trade Representative to carry out these changes.
Businesses and individuals importing goods from China — including buyers of cheap, low-value packages shipped directly from China — will face higher duties. U.S. Customs and the agencies named in the order must implement and collect the new rates, and the changes were triggered by trade tensions between the U.S. and China, so parties on both sides of that trade relationship are affected.