IPC Urges Trump Administration to Take Measured Approach in Levying Higher Tariffs on Electronics from China

March, 2018 — IPC – Association Connecting Electronics Industries®, the global industry association representing the $2 trillion global electronics industry, expressed concern today following President Trump’s announcement that he will impose significantly higher tariffs on electronics imported from China.

Steep and broadly applied tariffs will increase the cost of technology products for U.S. consumers and businesses without an appreciable impact on the balance of trade between the two countries. The new tariffs, moreover, are likely to lead to the imposition of retaliatory trade barriers by China and other nations and disrupt the established supply chains of U.S. companies, affecting their agility and competitiveness in the global marketplace.

“This action undermines the Trump’s administration’s meaningful efforts to boost the U.S. economy and undervalues the interconnected nature of the electronics supply chain,” said IPC President and CEO John Mitchell. “IPC appreciates the Trump administration’s decision to solicit comments from the public, which we will provide on behalf of the electronics industry.”

Mitchell added, “IPC supports efforts to ensure open and fair trade through the negotiation, implementation, and enforcement of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements. We encourage efforts by officials in the U.S. and China to resolve these differences swiftly, with as little economic disruption as possible.”

Protection of intellectual property consistently ranks as a top priority for the electronics industry. To this end, IPC maintains a set of industry standards and a certification program that enable electronics manufacturers to demonstrate how they are protecting their customers’ intellectual property. IPC also is working with the U.S. Department of Defense to develop a new standard on this issue.