SMM: the Office of the United States Trade Representative announced on Tuesday that for some Chinese goods, including smartwatches and some medical masks, the tariff exemption period will be extended for another four months to the end of 2020. The previous year's exemption period expired on September 1.

Last year, the Trump administration announced a 15 per cent tariff on Chinese goods worth about $125 billion and then reduced the tariff rate to 7.5 per cent in the first phase of the trade agreement signed between China and the US in January, but some of the goods had been temporarily exempted.

The goods that have been temporarily exempted from tariffs include many Bluetooth and wearable data transmission devices, involving imports from China by Apple, FitBit, Sonos and other technology companies.

The extension list also includes medical equipment such as masks, respirators, stethoscope covers, gauze sponges and blood pressure sleeves. Products such as vertical pianos, LCD modules and stainless steel cases have also been postponed.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative has previously granted these products an one-year tariff exemption period, and the latest announcement did not give specific reasons for extending the tariff exemption period for only another four months.

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