Smartphones and laptops among items excluded from reciprocal tariffs, US says

Electronics such as smartphones and laptops will be excluded from reciprocal tariffs, the Trump administration has said.

US Customs and Border Protection listed 20 product categories in a notice to shippers, including the very broad 8471 code for all computers, laptops, disc drives and automatic data processing. It added that semiconductor devices and equipment, memory chips and flat panel displays would also be exempt.

The move could help keep prices down for popular consumer items that are mainly produced in East Asian countries and China, which is the country hardest hit by Donald Trump's tariffs. In a statement to Sky's US partner network NBC News, White House deputy press secretary Kush Desai said: "President Trump has made it clear America cannot rely on China to manufacture critical technologies such as semiconductors, chips, smartphones, and laptops.

"That's why the President has secured trillions of dollars in US investments from the largest tech companies in the world, including Apple, TSMC, and Nvidia. "At the direction of the President, these companies are hustling to onshore their manufacturing in the United States as soon as possible." Tech firms, including Apple, Samsung and Nvidia, have struggled in the stock market since the levies were first announced.

Earlier this week, the head of the trading floor at Currencies 4 You told Newspage Mr Trump's tariffs on Chinese imports "could significantly impact iPhone pricing globally". Prem Raja said analysts suggested "US prices might surge by up to 43% if Apple passes on the costs" to consumers.

The US and China have been locked in an escalating trade dispute since the start of the month, as both countries ratcheted up tariffs on imports. After Mr Trump announced a 34% levy on China on "Liberation Day.