China emerges as big winner from Supreme Court's tariff ruling

China emerges as big winner from Supreme Court's tariff ruling The court ruled just weeks before Trump’s coming trip to China, where he hopes to maintain a delicate trade truce with the world’s second-biggest economy. Containers in Suzhou Port in Jiangsu province, China, on Feb. 18. Costfoto / NurPhoto via Getty Images Share Add NBC News to Google March 1, 2026, 6:00 AM EST By Jennifer Jett Listen to this article with a free account 00:00 00:00 HONG KONG — Global trade has been upended again after the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump ’s “reciprocal” tariffs, with U.S. trading partners and businesses around the world grasping to understand the system that replaces them. A new flat global tariff of 10% paid by U.S. importers took effect Tuesday, lower than the 15% that Trump said he would implement days before. Under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, the 10% tariff can remain in place for 150 days without congressional approval. China is the “biggest winner” from the Supreme Court ruling, with an effective U.S. tariff rate now much closer to that of other countries, said Alicia García-Herrero, chief economist for Asia-Pacific at French investment bank Natixis. Among other benefits, China’s lower tariff rate reduces the incentive for companies to shift production to other countries in Asia, at least temporarily. But the whiplash has created overwhelming uncertainty for key U.S. allies and some of Washington’s biggest trading partners, many of whom had already announced or were nearing trade deals with the U.S., some having offered major concessions with the aim of securing favorable rates under Trump’s now-defunct tariff regime. In Asia, Trump administration officials had rushed to conclude deals in the weeks before the court ruling, with Indonesia agreeing to a 19% tariff rate only a day earlier. The tariff ruling also comes just weeks before Trump’s upcoming trip to China , where he hopes to maintain a delicate trade truce with the world’s second-...