From Apple to Nvidia, the United States technological companies have received a temporary exemption from the very high tariffs of President Donald Trump. For other companies, the damage imposed by existing taxes on Chinese exports can be fatal.
While Trump left the advantage so that most countries, which announced a 90 -day break in most of his “reciprocal” tariffs on Wednesday, doubled in China, which took advantage of import taxes in his assets to 145 percent.
Trump has launched its protectionist agenda as essential to revive the American industry. However, many American companies have become accustomed to cheap imports from China. For many of them, prices will increase and reduce profits.
Beijing has also responded to Trump’s movements with retaliation tariffs, now in 125 percent. American exports to China and agricultural products in particular, will be seriously seen by the General Tax of China.
Here are the state of commercial ties between the two largest economies in the world and US companies that could be affected by sausages:
State of American trade-china
Despite the growing tensions between the United States and China, Washington and Beijing are still important commercial partners.
According to the data of the commercial representative’s office, the total trade of goods between the United States and China was $ 582.4 billion in 2024. After Canada and Mexico, China is the third largest commercial partner in the United States.
The imports of USA of China totaled $ 438.9 billion, while their exports faced $ 143.5 billion. The result is that the United States commercial deficit with China was $ 295.4 billion last year, larger than for any other country.
On Friday, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said that tariffs on US assets were increasing from 84 percent to 125 percent, reiterating that Beijing “would fight until the end” shortly after Washington increased US tariffs on Chinese imports to 145 percent.
At the last minute of that same day, the Trump administration announced temporary exemptions for smartphones, solar panels and other electronic products such as semiconductor chips, most of which are carried out in China, from the “reciprocal field that has had the Holy Holy that has imposed the dekens in US goods. UU. And the commercial surpluses with the US.
The Chinese government welcomed the exemptions and urged Trump to go further. However, the president of the United States has said that these products will ultimately be subject to their own different tax. From now on, they are still subject to tariffs of 20 percent that Trump imposed on all Chinese products before April 2.
Media, companies will be forced to transmit at least some of Trump’s tariffs on consumers to try to preserve their profit margins. That will result in greater inflation and lower commercial production.
According to an analysis of Yale’s budget laboratory, tariffs could make 740,000 people lose their jobs in the United States at the end of 2025. But what sectors will be more exposed to these commercial interruptions?
Textiles and clothing
The price of Nike coaches, Levi jeans and GAP shirts will surely increase in the United States as Asian factory centers undermines the global clothing industry.
In 2024, factories in China, Vietnam and Indonesia made 95 percent of all Nike footwear. Trump has already introduced 145 percent tariffs in China, while Vietnam and Indonesia are currently facing 10 percent tariffs, which could increase in July if they did not demand Washington commercial treatment by then.
Vietnam, in particular, is considered an important indirect source of Chinese imports, both by redirecting Chinese products through Vietnamese ports and through the use of Chinese pieces in their exports to the US.
GAP is also highly exhibited to the production processes in Vietnam. Since the announcement of Trump’s “reciprocal” rate on April 2, GAP shares have fallen by 14 percent. For Nike, it’s 14.7 percent.
In other places, the price of Levi shares has a lunch at 10.6 percent.
Smart and semiconductor phones
On Friday night, customs and border protection of the USA (CBP) issued an exempt notice of some technological products of tariffs taught about Chinese products.
The CBP listed 20 categories of products, including computers, smartphones and automatic data processors. It also included equipment of semiconductors, memory chips and flat screens.
The exemptions were a welcome relief for the main technology companies, including Apple, which depends on Chinese manufacturing. But even with all rates after April 2 on them resigned for now, these electronic products still face tariffs of 20 percent that Trump had imposed before April 2.
Trump has also said that exemptions are temporary, and that new tariffs could arrive soon. In addition, on Monday he announced an investigation into the national security implications of the importation of semiconductors and chips manufacturing equipment, injecting new insecurities for electronics companies.
Supply chains in general are difficult to move. For electronic goods, they are particularly difficult to replace, cover industrial processes in different locations requires time and investment.
Bradley Saunders, an analyst at North America of Capital Economics, told Al Jazeera that the technological goods assembly processes have “accumulated around years … markets have found the most efficient supply chains they can.”
For now, Apple outsternizes most of its assembly operations to China. Smartphone companies are not alone. Almost 90 percent of games of games sold in the United States by Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have been sent from China.
In other places, Nvidia depends largely on China’s components. The technology giant is based on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company to manufacture its avant -garde graphics cards and AI chips.
Apple and Nvidia led a wide advance in the United States stock markets after Trump announced their recent exemptions. According to Saunders, any new tariff could hit the “hard” American “sectors.
American agricultural exporters
Trump’s first commercial war with China from 2018 to 2019 results in billions of dollars in lost income for American farmers. “The agricultural industry always tends to lose in commercial wars,” Saunders said.
He pointed out that “about 15 percent” or exports of the American farm went to China in 2024. The soy soybean sector, in particular, can lose because China is its largest export market.
When Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese products in his first presidential mandate, Beijing represents the purchase of soybeans from other countries such as Brazil. He also imposed reprisal rates or his. This time, those rates are five times higher.
The American Association of Soybean has publicly opposed Trump’s tariffs about China, and soy farmers have warned that many in the industry could disappear if the commercial war continues.
The United States has more than 500,000 soy producers, according to the agriculture census of the Department of Agriculture. That includes at least 223,000 full -time jobs supported by the soybean soybean industry, according to a 2023 report for the National Association of Oilseed processors and the United Soy Board.
The industry is worth $ 124 billion in the United States. That is more than the entire economy of Kenya or Bulgaria.
Corn and pig producers have also been urging Trump to go back from their tariff splashes. Cargill, Archer Daniels Midland and Tyson Foods are three of several large American food companies that will probably lose China’s export profits.