US lifts tariffs on China-made injection moulds

Washington — The US unexpectedly put a hold on 25% tariffs on rubber & plastics injection moulds imported from China in late December.

The announcement from the US Trade Representative means that the 25% tariffs on injection moulds — imposed in July as part of the first round of $34 billion (€30 billion) in duties on Chinese imports — will be suspended for at least one year.

USTR received more than 200 requests from injection moulding companies, many in the automotive supply chain, to exempt their specific mould imports.

The USTR announcement is broader than moulds, exempting about 30 different categories of imports from the tariffs.

More than half of the requests for tariff exemptions came from injection moulding companies in the automotive supply chain. The companies argued that the tariffs would raise costs or slow down vehicle development.