The White House has confirmed that tariffs of 104% on China will come into force on Wednesday in retaliation for the 34% tariffs that the territory has imposed on the United States, as announced by Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman for the Trump administration.
Among China’s top exports to the United States are consumer electronics (22%) and household appliances (19%), totaling $435 billion and $124 billion, respectively. All figures in this article are in US dollars.
The consumer electronics sector generated the most export revenue, followed by textiles and clothing with 404,000 million; chemical products, 362,000 million; base metals, 268 million; transportation equipment 265,000 million; and construction and traditional machinery, 260,000 million.
In that order, they are followed by electrical equipment, semiconductors, household appliances, clean energy and batteries, agricultural products, food and beverages, optical/medical instruments, mineral products, wood, wood and paper products, and stone, glass and precious stones. For decades, the United States has been China’s main export destination, importing more Chinese products than any other country in the world.
China’s exports reached $3.4 trillion in 2023
In 2023, China’s global exports reached $3.4 trillion, of which the United States received $502 billion (14.8%). This proportion significantly exceeded that of the second largest recipient, Hong Kong, which accounted for 8.2% of Chinese exports.
Consumer electronics represent China’s greatest dependence on US exports, accounting for 22% of its exports. Among all sectors, it also presents the smallest gap between US and non-US exports, with non-US exports ($339 billion) only 3.5 times larger than US exports ($96 billion).
Despite the trade tensions, China maintains significant export relations with the United States in traditional manufacturing sectors, where electrical appliances (19%), textiles (17%) and optical and medical instruments (17%) show a notable share of the US market.
In December 2024, China’s total exports to the United States reached $48.83 billion, up from $47.31 billion in November 2024, probably driven by companies rushing to ship goods before the now-in-force tariffs increased costs.
