The United States has temporarily suspended the previously imposed tariffs on electronic devices such as smartphones, computers, semiconductors and memory media. This was announced by the US Customs and Border Protection agency on Friday evening. The suspension also applies to hard drives, processors, solar modules, USB flash drives, flat panel TVs and other devices. The regulation is retroactive, starting from April 5th.
This decision is expected to significantly benefit US technology companies such as Apple, whose products are largely manufactured in China. Experts describe this as a “dream scenario” for tech investors. Following the initial announcement of the tariffs, Apple alone had lost over $640 billion in market value.
In early April, President Trump had imposed tariffs of up to 145% on Chinese electronic imports, a move that was strongly criticized by the industry. The exemptions granted are initially valid for 90 days.
Daniel Ives, an industry analyst from Wedbush Securities, commented:
“The suspension of the tariffs marks a turning point. Without it, it would have been Armageddon for Big Tech.”
It appears that the White House has responded to the significant pressure from the economy. However, a permanent solution remains uncertain.
For more information, please refer to the article “Trump’s new protectionism – and its global consequences.