China finalises third round of Section 301 retaliatory tariffs

Arlington, Virginia, USA, 25 September 2018: The Chinese Ministry of Finance announced that 5,207 separate tariff lines of the harmonised tariff schedule – amounting to USD 60 billion worth of goods from the United States – would be subject to additional tariffs of 5-10%, starting on September 24, in response to the United States Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods, AHRI said, in a Press communiqué. These tariffs are the final version of the preliminary tariffs announced on August 3, the communiqué said. The Ministry of Finance also announced that China will “respond accordingly” to the United States administration’s plans to increase the third round of Section 301 tariffs from 10% to 25% on January 1, 2019, the communiqué further said.

The communiqué said China’s retaliatory tariffs affect a variety of goods manufactured by AHRI members, including compressors, refrigerators and freezers, water heaters, boilers, heating equipment, heat exchangers, air conditioners, cooling equipment, control equipment, refrigerants, radiators, fans and vending machines. The communiqué further said that AHRI encourages members to review the original tariff annexes, published by China’s Ministry of Commerce, to ensure a complete analysis.