Chinese imports to US plummet to lowest levels since pandemic amid Trump tariffs

Chinese imports entering the U.S. have dropped to the lowest levels since the pandemic, according to recent census trade data.

A report from the Commerce Department showed a record number of goods from 10 countries, including Mexico and Vietnam, although the imports from China were the lowest in five years and possibly will drop further as Trump has hiked duties on Chinese goods to a staggering 145%, according to data collected by Reuters.

Chinese products have accounted for a smaller share of U.S. trade than in past decades.

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Trade experts are saying the cause of the shift is due to the on-and-off tariffs set by the Trump administration.

The Trump administration has leveled tariffs as high as 145% on Chinese goods as the president looks to bring parity to the nation's chronic trade deficit with foreign countries. Trump paused his April 2 reciprocal tariff plan on dozens of nations as countries called on the administration to make trade deals, but he upped the ante on China after Beijing rebuked Trump's trade policies with tariffs of its own, including 125% duty taxes on U.S. goods. 

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U.S. imports for consumption exceeded $340 billion in March, surpassing the previous record set in January by more than $20 billion. The total marks a 37% increase over March 2024 and the highest monthly import figure since recording started in 2002, according to a report by USA Today.

"Everybody trying to beat the tariffs skews everything," said Jennifer Hillman, professor of practice at the Georgetown University Law Center and an international trade researcher with the Council on Foreign Relations.

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The update on China comes after the Trump administration inked a separate trade deal with the UK last week – the first trade deal signed since Trump's "Liberation Day" announcement on April 2 that leveled tariffs on nations worldwide as the administration looked to end trade barriers on U.S. goods and even the playing field for U.S. exports.