Supply Chain Research

The implementation of the phase 1 trade deal between the U.S. and China left all U.S. tariffs in place, simply cutting list 4 duties – first applied in September 2019 – to 7.5% from 15.0%. The drag from tariffs, applied in waves since July 2018 – led to a 20.3% slide in U.S. imports from China in January. Yet, there has been a deceleration in the decline in imports suggesting the tariffs’ effects may be waning. Among list 1 and list 2 products – where tariffs were applied at a 25% rate in July and August 2018 – imports of chemicals fell by just 2.5% year over year in January compared to ...