Trump's tariffs

Trade war

Trump imposes new tariffs. China: stop buying US soya until revoked

Trump announces tariffs from 1 October on medicines at 100% (but in the EU they will remain at 15%), kitchen and bathroom furniture at 50% and trucks at 25%. China is the world's largest buyer of US soya.

26 September 2025

Donald Trump. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

3' min read

Key points

EU: 'On medicines 15% limit to tariffs is insurance policy'
100% pharmaceutical tariffs will not apply to the EU and Japan
China suspends US soya purchases until tariffs are lifted

3' min read

New barrage of tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump, effective 1 October. Tariffs of 50% will be triggered on kitchen and bathroom furniture and related products. The decision was made, Trump claims, because the US is 'inundated with these products coming in from other countries. It's unfair and we have to protect, for national security reasons, the manufacturing process'.

Pharmaceuticals are also affected: "We will impose 100 per cent tariffs on any branded or patented pharmaceutical product unless a company is building its own pharmaceutical production plant in America," the US president announced on his social Truth, pointing out that "construction will be defined as a start-up and/or construction site. Therefore, there will be no tariffs on these pharmaceuticals if construction has begun'.

Third measure decided by the US president: 25% tariffs on heavy truck imports into the US The decision is dictated by the need to protect 'our manufacturers', he writes in Truth.

Dazi, i rischi della mossa di Trump

EU: 'On medicines 15% limit on tariffs is insurance policy'

"The 15% global tariff cap for EU exports" included in the framework agreement on pharmaceuticals, timber and semiconductors "represents an insurance policy that assures EU economic operators that higher tariffs will not be applied. The EU and the US continue to strive to implement the commitments made in the joint statement, while exploring further areas for exemptions and broader cooperation,' underlines EU Commission spokesman Olof Gill, commenting on Trump's announcement on new medicines in case production does not take place in the US.

100% pharmaceutical tariffs will not apply to the EU and Japan

Shortly after the EU comment came confirmation from a White House official: the new tariffs on pharmaceutical imports imposed by President Donald Trump will not apply to countries with negotiated agreements with the United States that contain drug provisions, providing the promised relief to economies such as the EU and Japan.

According to the terms of the framework agreement, tariffs on pharmaceuticals from the EU will be limited to 15%, the official said. Japanese medicines will also be subject to the tariff set out in the pact, the official added. In detail, the US-Japan joint statement states that US tariff rates on Japanese drugs and semiconductors should not exceed those applied to other countries, including the EU.

Trump said Thursday that the US will impose a 100 per cent tariff "on any branded or patented pharmaceutical product unless a company DOES NOT BUILD its pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in America," defined as "in start-up and/or under construction." No tariff will be applied "if construction has begun," the president wrote on social media.

The sudden announcement did not include any other details, leaving some foreign capitals wondering whether their agreements with Washington still applied to the new pharmaceutical tariffs. If a company announces it will build a plant in the United States, its products will be exempt while the Commerce Department reviews the announcement and conducts an approval process, the official said.

Recently, the Trump administration has taken further steps to implement the EU trade deal. At the beginning of this week, the US cut tariffs on cars to 15%, up from 25% on existing tariffs.

China suspends US soya purchases until tariffs are lifted

The US should lift the 'unreasonable' tariffs and create conditions for more bilateral trade, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce told the US media, to allow Beijing to resume soya purchases from the US.

"Regarding soybean trade, the US should take proactive measures to remove unreasonable tariffs, create conditions to expand bilateral trade, and instil greater stability and certainty in global economic development," said ministry spokesman He Yadong. China is the world's largest buyer of US soya.