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Explainer | US-China trade war timeline: key dates and events since July 2018
- The US-China trade war began in July 2018, eventually leading to tariffs on some US$550 billion of Chinese goods and US$185 billion of US goods
- A phase-one trade deal was signed in January 2020, although relations have not significantly improved under the administration of US President Joe Biden
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This article has been updated. Click here for the latest version.
The US-China trade war began in July 2018 under the administration of then-US president Donald Trump, eventually leading to tariffs on some US$550 billion of Chinese goods and US$185 billion of US goods.
A phase-one trade deal between the two sides was signed in January 2020, although relations have not significantly improved under the administration of US President Joe Biden.
06/07/2018: US-China trade war begins
US places 25 per cent duties on around US$34 billion of imports from China, including cars, hard disks and aircraft parts. China retaliates by imposing a 25 per cent tariff on 545 goods originating from the US worth US$34 billion, including agricultural products, automobiles and aquatic products.
23/08/2018: US imposes 25 per cent tariffs on a further US$16 billion worth of Chinese goods
Washington imposes 25 per cent tariffs on another US$16 billion of Chinese goods, including iron and steel products, electrical machinery, railway products, instruments and apparatus. China responds by applying 25 per cent tariffs on US$16 billion of US goods, including Harley-Davidson motorcycles, bourbon and orange juice.
24/09/2018: US places tariffs on US$200 billion worth of Chinese imports, China responds
US places 10 per cent taxes on US$200 billion of Chinese imports. China responds by placing customs duties on US$60 billion of US goods.
01/12/2018: Xi, Trump call a truce in the trade war at the G20 summit
Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump agree to a 90-day trade truce to allow for further talks to address US concerns after China committed to buying a “very substantial” amount of American exports.
10/05/2019: US increases tariffs on US$200 billion worth of Chinese goods
After trade negotiations break down, the US increases tariffs on US$200 billion worth of Chinese goods from 10 per cent to 25 per cent. China responds by announcing that it will increase tariffs on US$60 billion worth of US goods from June 1.
US-China trade war timeline since July 2018
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 06/07/2018 | US-China trade war begins as US imposes 25 per cent tariffs on US$34 billion worth of Chinese imports |
| 06/07/2018 | China retaliates by imposing 25 per cent tariffs on 545 goods originating from the US worth US$34 billion |
| 23/08/2018 | Washington imposes 25 per cent tariffs on a further US$16 billion worth of Chinese goods |
| 23/08/2018 | China responds by applying 25 per cent tariffs on US$16 billion worth of US goods |
| 24/09/2018 | US places 10 per cent tariffs on US$200 billion worth of Chinese imports |
| 24/09/2018 | China responds by placing customs duties on US$60 billion worth of US goods |
| 01/12/2018 | Xi Jinping and US counterpart Donald Trump call a truce in the trade war at the G20 summit in Argentina |
| 10/05/2019 | After trade negotiations break down, US increases tariffs on US$200 billion worth of Chinese goods, from 10 to 25 per cent |
| 15/05/2019 | US Department of Commerce announces the addition of Huawei to its “entity list” |
| 31/05/2019 | China announces plans to establish its own “unreliable entity list” |
| 01/06/2019 | China increases tariffs on US$60 billion worth of US products |
| 29/06/2019 | Xi Jinping and Donald Trump again agree to a trade war truce, this time at the G20 summit in Japan |
| 05/08/2019 | US designates China as a “currency manipulator” |
| 13/08/2019 | US announces that various planned levies on US$455 billion worth of Chinese products have either been delayed or removed |
| 23/08/2019 | China announces planned tariffs of 5 and 10 per cent on US$75 billion worth of US goods |
| 01/09/2019 | US tariffs on more than US$125 billion worth of Chinese imports begin as expected |
| 11/09/2019 | US agrees to briefly delay new tariffs on US$250 billion worth of Chinese goods |
| 11/10/2019 | US announces that it will delay a planned tariff increase of 25 to 30 per cent on US$250 billion worth of Chinese goods |
| 15/01/2020 | China and the US sign the phase-one trade deal |
| 14/02/2020 | China halves additional tariffs on US$75 billion worth of American products imposed in 2019 |
| 12/05/2020 | China announces a second batch of trade-war-tariff exemptions covering 79 American products |
| 14/05/2020 | China allows imports of barley and blueberries from the US |
| 01/09/2020 | Dozens of US imports from China are granted short extensions to previous tariff exemptions |
| 14/09/2020 | US customs agency issues “withhold release orders” banning cotton, apparel, hair products and computer parts from four Xinjiang companies |
| 15/09/2020 | China decides to exempt additional tariffs on a batch of 16 US products for another year |
| 02/12/2020 | US government says it will begin to block the import of all cotton products made by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) |
| 02/12/2020 | US president-elect Joe Biden tells The New York Times he will not make any “immediate moves” to lift trade war tariffs |
| 18/02/2021 | US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says that tariffs on China will be “kept in place” |
| 27/05/2021 | Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai speak in the first trade talks since August 2020 |
| 02/06/2021 | Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He holds a “candid” exchange on issues of concern with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen |
| 10/06/2021 | Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao speaks with his American counterpart Gina Raimondo |
| 15/07/2021 | US says it has no intention to resume highest-level bilateral forum |
| 19/07/2021 | Trade deal didn’t address ‘fundamental problems’, Yellen says |
15/05/2019: US adds Huawei to ‘entity list’
US Department of Commerce announces the addition of Huawei Technologies Co. to its “entity list”, which effectively bans US companies from selling to the Chinese telecommunications company without approval.
31/05/2019: China announces plans to establish ‘unreliable entity list’
The Ministry of Commerce said that it will blacklist foreign businesses or individuals that violated market rules and contractual obligations, or took “discriminatory measures” to hurt Chinese business rights and interests, as well as national security and interests.
01/06/2019: China increases tariffs on US$60 billion worth of US products
Ministry of Finance says the move, with duties to rise to “25, 20 and 10 per cent”, is a response to “unilateralism and trade protectionism”.
03:15
Trade war truce: US and China agree at G20 to resume negotiations with no further tariffs
Trade war truce: US and China agree at G20 to resume negotiations with no further tariffs
29/06/2019” Xi, Trump again agree to a trade war truce at G20 summit in Japan
Donald Trump said the outcome was “better than expected”, with China saying the US had agreed not to impose any further tariffs on its goods.
05/08/2019: US designates China as a ‘currency manipulator’
The US quickly labelled China after the yuan fell below the key threshold of 7 to the US dollar, a level the PBOC had previously defended. It was the first time it had fallen below the psychologically important level since 2008.
13/08/2019: US announces various planned levies have either been delayed or removed
Donald Trump announces that planned levies on many of the US$300 billion of Chinese products threatened to start in September 2019 have either been delayed or removed, while levies of 10 per cent on US$155 billion of products such as including phones, laptop computers and video game consoles will be delayed until December 15.
01:25
US labels China a currency manipulator as Beijing allows yuan to sink to lowest level in 11 years amid ongoing trade war
US labels China a currency manipulator as Beijing allows yuan to sink to lowest level in 11 years amid ongoing trade war
23/08/2019: China announces fresh tariffs on US$75 billion of US products
China announces tariffs of 5 and 10 per cent on US$75 billion of US goods from September 1 and December 15. China also confirms it will reinstate tariffs on US cars and car parts from December 15.
01/09/2019: US tariffs on more than US$125 billion worth of Chinese imports begin as expected
Research from Oxford Economics suggested that new US tariffs on China – including the knock-on effect on sentiment – would reduce Chinese growth by about 0.2 percentage point in 2019 and another 0.3 percentage point next year. It cut its 2020 growth estimate to 5.7 per cent, well below the 6.0 per cent minimum growth rate set by the government for this year.
11/09/2019: US agrees to briefly delay new tariffs on US$250 billion worth of Chinese goods
China announces that it will offer exemptions to 16 types of US imports from additional tariffs, which include products such as pesticides, animal feeds, lubricants, and cancer drugs. Donald Trump agrees to delay new tariffs on US$250 billion worth of Chinese goods from October 1 to October 15 as a good will gesture to avoid the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.
11/10/2019: Trump says ‘substantial phase-one deal’ reached, new tariffs delayed
US President Donald Trump said his negotiators have reached a “substantial phase-one deal” that will delay the implementation of more US tariffs on Chinese imports after two days of high-level trade negotiations that aimed to move the two countries closer to a conclusion of a bruising bilateral trade war.
15/01/2020: China, US sign the phase-one trade deal
With provisions covering purchase commitments, financial market access, intellectual property protection and enforcement, the phase-one trade deal was made final by US President Donald Trump and China’s chief trade negotiator, Vice-Premier Liu He.
14/02/2020: China halves additional tariffs on US$75 billion worth of US products
China halves additional tariffs on US$75 billion of American products imposed in 2019, including automotive and agricultural goods like pork, chicken, beef and soybeans, chemicals, crude oil, whiskey, and seafood. China also lifted an import ban on live poultry products from the US.
01:57
Trade War: US and China sign breakthrough ‘phase one’ deal
Trade War: US and China sign breakthrough ‘phase one’ deal
12/05/2020: China announces a second batch of trade-war-tariff exemptions
There are 79 products in total on the list, including rare earth mineral ores, aircraft radar equipment, semiconductor parts, medical disinfectants, and a range of precious metals, chemical and petrochemical products.
14/05/2020: China allows imports of barley and blueberries from the US
China’s moves to permit further agricultural imports from the United States are viewed as being a step towards meeting the nation’s phase-one trade deal commitments.
01/09/2020: Dozens of US imports from China are granted short extensions
Disposable face masks, respirators, Bluetooth tracking devices and musical instruments are among the Chinese exports granted a new short-term exemption to trade war tariffs by the United States.
01:08
Xinjiang, China’s top cotton producer
Xinjiang, China’s top cotton producer
14/09/2020: US issues restrictions on import of Xinjiang cotton and apparel products
The US government announced new restrictions on the import of products, especially cotton and apparel, from China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, citing concerns over the alleged widespread use of forced labour.
15/09/2020: Beijing extends exemptions on 16 US products for another year
China has decided to exempt tariffs on a batch of 16 US products, including fish meal, lubricants and cancer medications, for another year, marking a small concession in a much broader trade war with the United States.
02/12/2020: US to block import of cotton goods produced by China’s leading supplier in Xinjiang
Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), responsible for a third of China’s cotton production, is accused of widespread use of forced labour.
01:38
Xi Jinping warns against ‘new Cold War’ and ‘confrontation’
Xi Jinping warns against ‘new Cold War’ and ‘confrontation’
02/12/2020 US president-elect Biden tells says he will not make any ‘immediate moves to lift tariffs
In an interview with The New York Times, US President-elect Joe Biden said the “best China strategy” was to get all traditional US allies in Asia and Europe “on the same page”, which will be his major priority “in the opening weeks” of his presidency.
18/02/2021 US Treasury Secretary Yellen says that tariffs on China will be ‘kept in place’
“For the moment, we have kept the tariffs in place that were put in by the Trump administration … and we’ll evaluate going forward what we think is appropriate,” US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen tells CNBC, adding that Washington expected Beijing to adhere to its commitments on trade.
27/05/2021: Liu He, Katherine Tai speak in the first trade talks since August 2020
Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai spoke by telephone, with Beijing stressing the importance of developing bilateral trade after “candid and constructive” exchange.
00:36
‘We’re not old friends’: Joe Biden says of Xi Jinping
‘We’re not old friends’: Joe Biden says of Xi Jinping
02/06/2021: Liu holds ‘candid’ exchange on issues of concern with Yellen
Both sides agreed China-US economic relations were “very important”, and discussions included the macro economic situation, as well as bilateral and multilateral cooperation “in an attitude of equality and mutual respect”.
10/06/2021: China commerce minister Wang speaks with American counterpart
A further “candid and pragmatic exchange of views” takes place between China and the United States, this time between Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and his American counterpart Gina Raimondo.
15/07/2021: US no intention to resume the highest-level bilateral forum
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has no intention to resume the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) mechanism.
19/07/2021: Trade deal didn’t address ‘fundamental problems’, Yellen says
“My own personal view is that tariffs were not put in place on China in a way that was very thoughtful,” US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen tells The New York Times in an interview.
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