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US and China Agree on Tariff Pause: Will Gadget Prices Stabilize?
Tariffs between the United States and China are set to be paused following the first significant negotiations between the two countries since President Trump imposed higher fees in April.Representatives from the two countries met in Switzerland over the weekend and agreed to lower tariffs by 115%. That leaves the US tariff on Chinese imports at 30%, while China will cut rates on US goods to 10%.The 90-day pause on the 145% rate imposed by Trump, which began on May 14, is intended to give China the US time to negotiate a longer-term trade deal. Consumer technology brands and retailers have been scrambling to determine whether price increases are necessary and whether they will impact their day-to-day business. Some brands have chosen to pass tariffs onto customers, while others, like retro game handheld maker Anbernic and Chinese e-commerce giant Temu, have limited US citizens' ability to buy products imported from China.Recommended by Our EditorsThe 90-day pause will end in early August. Tech brands and retailers will likely continue to plan for the possibility of a failure in trade talks. However, it gives brands another three months to continue to stockpile products in the US.This new pause will not revert the de minimis exception that went into effect on May 2. That previously allowed businesses to import goods under $800 without any extra duties attached. Temu has since restricted customers to purchasing goods from US-based warehouses.The tariffs have been the defining story of 2025 for the tech industry. Keyboard maker Das spoke to PCMag last week and founder Daniel Guermeur told us, “There's a fork in the road for the keyboard market, and the fork in the road is called Trump.”