Trump exempts smartphone, laptops, chips in China tariff backdown

The Trump administration has exempted a raft of consumer electronics from its punishing import tariffs - offering relief to US tech firms and partially dialling down a trade war with China. A notice late Friday [Saturday NZT] by the US Customs and Border Protection office said smartphones, laptops, memory chips and other products would be excluded from the global levies President Donald Trump rolled out a week ago. The move came as retaliatory Chinese import tariffs of 125% on US goods took effect Saturday, with Beijing standing defiant against its primary trade competitor.

The exemptions will benefit US tech companies like Nvidia and Dell, as well as Apple which makes iPhones and other premium products in China. Exempted products account for 20% of China imports.