Americans awoke Wednesday to steep new taxes on Chinese goods, a combined 125% tariff that will have a big impact on Oregonians, economists say.
For weeks, President Donald Trump has been pushing tariffs on U.S. imports, and has issued a seemingly ever-growing list of new taxes on foreign imports.
Those tariffs have been especially targeted on China, first accumulating 20%, 34% and 50% tariffs over the last several weeks and on Wednesday raised it further, while lessening other tariffs on other foreign countries.
A combined 125% tax is the highest on any country’s imports, imposed after Beijing slapped tariffs of its own on U.S. goods this week.
China is a major provider of goods to Oregonians. According to Business Oregon, one in ten products brought to Oregon from overseas come from China. Oregonians purchased $2.7 billion worth of Chinese goods in 2024 — everything from toys and shoes to computers, batteries and cellphones.
China already faced steep tariffs before Trump took office. In 2024, Oregonians paid more in tariffs on Chinese products than all other countries combined, to the tune of $371 million last year, according to Business Oregon.
The semiconductor industry, which employs tens of thousands of Oregonians, is heavily reliant on the global supply chain, particularly from China. Intel is Oregon’s largest private business, with several factories operating in Washington County manufacturing computer chips.
On the export side, China is Oregon’s second-largest trading partner next to Mexico. Oregon businesses shipped $5.9 billion worth of goods to China last year, Business Oregon said, much of that in computer chips and other tech components.
Economists said earlier tariffs would likely have a big impact on Oregonians, and have warned for weeks about the inevitable rising costs for goods on everyday products, especially retail goods and technology. Oregon’s economy, which had been projected to grow in 2024, will likely slow down, Oregon’s chief economist Carl Riccadonna told news partner Oregon Public Broadcasting, as it did to a lesser degree when Trump imposed smaller tariffs during his first administration.
“In 2018, we saw a real downshift in the economy, especially in the state economy,” he said. “Oregon is more sensitive to manufacturing than most states. And by virtue of its geography, Oregon is more sensitive to exports than most states – as is true for any state with a long coastline, especially on the West Coast – with a lot of trade to Asia.”
Trump’s tariffs have been extremely controversial. Global markets lost trillions in the days following Trump’s announcement of increased tariffs.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-OR, said this week he plans to fast-track legislation that would “end the latest crop of global tariffs that are clobbering American families and business members on both sides of the aisle.”
“Donald Trump’s aimless, chaotic tariff spree has proven beyond a doubt that Congress has given far too much of its constitutional power over international trade to the executive branch. It is time to take that power back,” he said Tuesday.
The president remains undeterred, telling the National Republican Congressional Committee at a dinner on Tuesday that countries were lining up to make deals to end the trade war.
“I’m telling you, these countries are calling us up, kissing my ass,” Trump reportedly told the crowd. “They are. They are dying to make a deal. ‘Please, please, sir, make a deal. I’ll do anything. I’ll do anything, sir!’”
Trump has said the 104% rate on Chinese goods “sounds ridiculous” but said the country would “make a deal” to avoid it.
“They want to make a deal,” he said Tuesday. “They just don’t know how to get started because they’re proud people.”