Chinese Tariffs on US Hardwoods – No Clear Update Yet
Dear AHEC Members,
As you may recall, back in 2020 the Chinese tariffs on US hardwood products were suspended as part of a COVID relief package. Since then, the tariffs have been regularly postponed, with the last announcement in November 2024 providing a tariff exemption through today, February 28th, 2025.
Today, there was no statement regarding another tariff exemption from China’s Ministry of Finance, and interpretations from local industry are mixed. Contacts at the US Embassy in Beijing have told us that they are “carefully monitoring the situation but have not heard anything definitive from the State Council Tariff Commission.” Other contacts from a Chinese timber association reported that “there is no official information indicating that the … exclusion for timber imported from the United States will continue to be applicable after February 28th, 2025“. This would seem to indicate that tariffs could be back in play, but we will have to wait a few days for any confirmation. It is possible that any tariff policies will take some time to come into effect.
At this time, there is no clear answer about the state of tariffs on US hardwood products entering China. We are closely monitoring the situation and will provide an update as soon as an official statement is released from the Chinese Ministry of Finance or we receive confirmation that importers in China are being charged a tariff.
Best,
TRIPP PRYOR
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM MANAGER