US extends tariff exclusions on medical goods from China as coronavirus pressures continue

The United States will extend exemptions from punitive tariffs for some medical products from China, the US Trade Representative said on Wednesday.

The exclusions were originally set to expire on November 30 and have been extended for three months, the USTR said in a statement.

Such exemptions were first announced in December 2020, and the latest move comes “in light of the continuing efforts to combat Covid”, the USTR said.

The exclusions cover 81 medical-care products, and the exemptions on them were extended once in November 2021 and again in June.

Items on the list include pump bottles for hand sanitiser, plastic containers for sanitising wipes, blood pressure monitors, fingertip pulse oximeters, MRI machines and X-ray tables.