Tariff pause, policy tools remain

The 90-day tariff pause lowered some U.S.-China duties, but it did not dismantle the trade machinery Washington can still use to raise costs again. (whitehouse.gov) In the May 12, 2025 Geneva joint statement, the United States said it would suspend 24 percentage points of its April 2 tariff for 90 days and keep a 10% rate in place. China said it would match with its own 90-day suspension and keep a 10% tariff on U.S. goods. (whitehouse.gov) The White House said the U.S. also removed the extra China-specific tariff increases imposed on April 8 and April 9, 2025. A White House fact sheet said the pause left the baseline 10% tariff in force during the 90-day period. (whitehouse.gov, whitehouse.gov) A tariff pause is not the same as a tariff repeal. The Geneva statement set a clock that began on May 14, 2025, and it described the suspension as an “initial period of 90 days,” leaving room for tariffs to snap back or be renegotiated. (whitehouse.gov) The other trade tools never disappeared. The Office of the United States Trade Representative still lists active Section 301 cases, including investigations launched in 2024, 2025 and March 2026, and those cases can lead to product-specific tariffs or other import restrictions after the legal process runs its course. (ustr.gov) Section 301 is the law Washington uses when it says another country’s trade practices are unfair. Section 232 is a separate law that lets the government restrict imports on national security grounds, and trade advisers said in April 2026 that the administration was already shifting toward those authorities after courts struck down tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. (ustr.gov, wipfli.com) That shift matters for shipping as well as customs bills. USTR’s April 17, 2025 action in its China maritime case set port-fee measures on China-linked ships and proposed new tariffs on cranes and cargo equipment, showing the administration was moving beyond headline tariff rates into transport and industrial policy. (ustr.gov, gcaptain.com) Those port measures were later suspended for one year, not canceled. USTR’s November 13, 2025 notice said the Section 301 actions in the maritime, logistics and shipbuilding case were suspended for one year beginning November 10, 2025, after a White House-announced deal with China. (federalregister.gov, ustr.gov) For importers, that means near-term invoices got lighter while long-term planning stayed hard. Companies won temporary relief on some tariffs and shipping-related charges, but the legal authorities for new Section 232 and Section 301 actions remained available as of April 21, 2026. (whitehouse.gov, ustr.gov, wipfli.com) The practical takeaway is that the pause bought time, not certainty. The tariff rates came down fast in May 2025, but the statutes, investigations and suspension deadlines stayed in place for Washington to use again. (whitehouse.gov, federalregister.gov, ustr.gov)