HIGHER tariffs on U.S. imports of products from China appear to be taking a toll on the world’s second-largest economy, according to monthly surveys of Chinese factory managers released Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
The official survey by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing shows export orders slowed in April, with Beijing and Washington in a standoff after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered combined tariffs of up to 145 percent on
Chinese goods.
China has imposed duties of up to 125 percent on U.S. products, with some exemptions. It has also ordered other retaliation, such as tighter restrictions on exports of some strategically important minerals used for high-tech products such as
electric vehicles.
The official manufacturing purchasing managers index fell to a 16-month low of 49 from 50.5 in March. That’s on a scale where 50 marks the break between expansion and contraction. A private survey by the financial information group Caixin fell to 50.4
from 51.2.
“The sharp drop in the PMIs likely overstates the impact of tariffs due to negative sentiment effects, but it still suggests that China’s economy is coming under pressure as external demand cools,” Zichun Huang of Capital Economics said in a report.
/ AP