Jan 21, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Trump threatens 10% tariff on China as of Feb. 1

Sareen Habeshian

President Donald Trump in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. Trump announced a joint venture to fund artificial intelligence infrastructure worth billions of dollars with the leaders of Softbank Group Corp., OpenAI LLC, and Oracle Corp., an effort — President Trump in the Roosevelt Room of the White House Tuesday. Photo: Aaron Schwartz/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images

President Trump on Tuesday said he's considering a 10% tariff on China, despite a recent softening tone with the country.

The big picture: The newly inaugurated president, who held off on imposing his promised massive tariffs on Mexico and Canada on his first day in office, recently signaled he wouldn't immediately raise tariffs on Chinese products as some expected.

What he's saying: "We're talking about a tariff of 10% on China based on the fact that they're sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada," Trump told reporters during a briefing Tuesday.

"Probably February 1 is the date we're looking at," he added.
That's the same day Trump has said he plans to impose tariffs on Mexico and Canada.

The intrigue: Trump didn't say by what mechanism he'd impose such large tariffs so quickly.

Imposing tariffs is usually a months-long process, unless Trump uses a never-tried method of levying them via declaration of an economic emergency.

Go deeper: Trump's "softening tone toward China" seen in inaugural address and TikTok action

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Trump threatens 10% tariff on China as of Feb. 1

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