How US-China tariffs reached sky-high levels in 3 months

Talks planned this weekend between US and Chinese officials in Switzerland are a culmination of more than three months of dizzying rounds of retaliatory tariffs between the two countries that have crippled each other's exporters and dragged on their economies.

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Washington and Beijing are entering talks with tariffs on each other's goods at an all-time high. US duties on Chinese imports stand at 145%, while China’s retaliatory tariffs on US goods have reached 125%.

US President Donald Trump said he believed the talks could bring tangible progress, and that he was open to lowering the tariffs substantially if Beijing made concessions. China, however, has reiterated calls for Washington to cancel the tariffs ahead of the talks.

Here is a play-by-play of how US and Chinese tariffs have reached such sky-high levels since the beginning of Trump's second term in office:

Feb 1, 2025 — Trump signs an executive order imposing 10% tariffs on China, as well as 25% duties on Mexico and Canada. He later announces a 30-day reprieve on the Mexican and Canadian tariffs.