The Donald Trump administration is planning to selectively raise global tariffs from 10% to 15%, while China will be spared from a raise for now. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Wednesday that tariff rates on imports from certain countries will increase to 15% or even higher from the recently introduced 10% level, though he did not identify the countries affected or offer additional specifics.
In an interview with Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria” programme, Greer said the Trump administration does not plan to raise tariffs on Chinese imports beyond their current levels, as President Donald Trump is expected to visit China in the coming weeks.
Jamieson Greer told Fox Business that the Trump administration’s proposal to replace emergency tariffs invalidated by the Supreme Court with a new set of duties would remain consistent with current trade agreements. These measures include temporary tariffs imposed under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which came into force on Tuesday at a rate of 10%.
Trump tariffs: From 10% to 15% or Higher soon
“Right now, we have the 10% tariff. It’ll go up to 15(%) for some and then it may go higher for others, and I think it will be in line with the types of tariffs we’ve been seeing,” Greer said according to a Reuters report.
Later, speaking on Bloomberg TV, Greer said the White House is preparing a proclamation to increase the temporary tariffs to 15% “where appropriate.”
He added that the move would “accommodate” countries that have trade agreements in place, without elaborating further.
Greer said the administration intends to follow the necessary legal procedures when implementing the tariff increases, noting that such measures often face legal challenges. “Any time we put on a tariff, we’re going to have foreign interests who want to bring it down. So people are going to sue us.”
He said that investigations into unfair trade practices under Section 301 of the same law would form the core of the new approach. The probes would focus on countries accused of maintaining excess industrial capacity, relying on forced labour within supply chains, discriminating against US technology companies, or providing subsidies for products such as rice and seafood.
Greer said he and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have repeatedly discussed the issue of surplus industrial capacity with Chinese officials, noting that some Chinese companies continue operating despite being unprofitable due to government support.
“I don’t think they’re going to resolve that problem fully, and that’s part of why we need to have tariffs on China and Vietnam and other countries that have this problem,” he said.
When asked whether the administration might impose significantly higher tariffs on Chinese imports that could disrupt the fragile trade truce, Greer said: “We don’t intend to escalate beyond” rates that are currently in place. “We intend to really stick to the deal that we have with them.”
Greer told Fox Business that Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, a law dating back nearly a century, remains valid and could be applied in situations where countries treat US trade less favourably than that of other nations.
The provision permits the imposition of tariffs of as much as 50 percent on imports from targeted countries.
