US tech firms feel pinch from China tariffs

The price of China-made smartphones, TVs and laptops could rise in the US and elsewhere, experts warn.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersUS tech firms feel pinch from China tariffs15 hours agoShareSaveDaniel ThomasBusiness reporter, BBC NewsShareSaveGetty ImagesAlmost 80% of smartphones sold in the US are made in China Deena Ghazarian had only been in business for a year when the trade policies of President Donald Trump's first term of office sent her company into a tailspin.

It was 2019 and her California-based firm, Austere, had just agreed to supply several big US retailers with its high-end audio and video accessories that are largely manufactured in China.

Then Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on China, and overnight Deena found herself paying a 25% surcharge on every cable and component she imported – up from zero previously.

She was forced to absorb the costs and for a while thought she would go bust.

"I literally thought I am going to start and end a business in less than a year," she says. "I had spent all this time, money and effort, and to have something like this blindside you was shocking."

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdjy8x9w9zzo

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