The world’s two largest economies just hit pause on their tariff slugfest. On May 12, 2025, the US and China announced a 90-day agreement to dramatically reduce the levies that have been choking bilateral trade since April.
US tariffs on Chinese imports will drop to 30% from a punishing 145%. China’s retaliatory duties on American goods fall to 10% from 125%.
What the deal actually covers
The tariff rollback primarily targets sectors critical to both traditional technology supply chains and the broader digital economy, including electronics and semiconductors.
Beyond the tariff numbers, China has also committed to suspending certain non-tariff measures that have affected US companies in categories like defense and aerospace.
The 90-day window is explicitly designed as a confidence-building measure. Both sides are using it to create breathing room for deeper negotiations rather than treating it as a final resolution.
How we got here
The current escalation traces back to April 2025, when the US ratcheted tariffs on Chinese goods to levels not seen in modern trade history. China responded in kind, and within weeks both countries had effectively priced each other’s exports out of their respective markets.
For the crypto and blockchain sector specifically, the semiconductor angle matters. Mining hardware, AI chips, and the components that power decentralized infrastructure overwhelmingly flow through supply chains touching both countries. A 145% tariff on those goods doesn’t just raise prices. It fundamentally reshapes where and how that hardware gets manufactured and distributed.
The agreement also arrives against a backdrop of longer-term policy tools being prepared on the US side. Section 122 and Section 301 tariffs are reportedly being developed as mechanisms that could outlast this 90-day window.
What this means for investors
The immediate effect of dropping tariffs from 145% to 30% should be a reduction in input costs for companies that import Chinese goods, particularly in technology hardware. That has downstream implications for everything from consumer electronics pricing to the cost of crypto mining rigs.
For crypto-adjacent companies, the semiconductor provisions deserve close attention. If the truce holds and potentially extends, it could stabilize hardware costs that have been volatile since the tariff escalation began.
The non-tariff concessions from China on defense and aerospace categories also signal that negotiations are touching deeper structural issues beyond simple duty rates.
The 90-day clock means this arrangement expires in mid-August 2025.