United States Court Rules Trump's Tariffs and Duties Unlawful

In a series of developments, China has announced the imposition of additional tariffs on goods imported from the United States, following a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The court declared that many of the tariff and duty measures implemented by former President Donald Trump exceeded his presidential authority.

Starting April 10, Chinese customs tariff commission of the State Council has imposed 34% duties on all products imported from the United States. This decision revokes the duties imposed by Trump in honor of "Independence Day," which set a base rate of 10% on almost all U.S. trade partners.

The court's decision also highlighted that many of the duties imposed by Trump "lack limitations on their scope, size, and duration," and "entail broad powers that exceed direct limitations" of the law on which his administration relied.

The delay in implementing the tariffs creates uncertainty for businesses and investors. The tariffs on goods from the European Union would now face a 20% surcharge, from China 34% (with previously imposed fees, the tariff rate has reached 54%), and from India 46%.

In response, China imposed its own tariffs of 125% on U.S. goods. The White House chief commented on the court decision, deeming the process "politically biased."

The delay in implementing the tariffs came as a result of talks held in Stockholm at the end of July between U.S. and Chinese trade representatives. The new tariffs were to rise to 145% had the deadline not been changed, as they did in April.

In a surprising turn, Donald Trump announced his decision to impose tariffs on 211 countries and territories in early April. However, following the first round of talks in Geneva in May, both sides agreed to suspend most tariffs, leading to a reduction in rates: the U.S. lowered its tariffs to 30%, while China reduced its to 10%.

The bilateral trade between China and the United States in 2024 totaled $688.28 billion, with U.S. exports to China amounting to $163.62 billion, nearly three times less than China's exports to the U.S. China's Ministry of Commerce described Trump's tariff decision as a "threatening tactic" and vowed to resist U.S. policy.

In a statement, Donald Trump claimed that the court's decision will weaken the U.S. financially and could "destroy the United States of America." The specific name of the judge who made the ruling on Donald Trump's presidential tariff orders remains undisclosed. The unpredictability of Trump's trade policy is underscored by the repeated postponement and modification of the tariffs he announced in early April.