On March 5, 2019, the U.S. government announced the notice to postpone the 25 percent tariffs on Chinese imported products and the duty will remain 10 percent until further notice. Before the official notification released, U.S.-based companies Acuity Brands and Eaton have announced the pause of their scheduled price increased in response to the delayed tariff implementation.
Eaton planned to increase price on March 1 due to the expected extra tariffs on Chinese-manufactured products including components and finished goods. Acuity Brands also announced a price increased earlier in February for the same reason.
Then Eaton announced on February 25 and Acuity on February 27 that they will not proceed the price increase as the Trump administration has intended to delay the 25 percent tariffs.
However, the companies also noted that they will continue monitoring the USTR actions and adjust price accordingly if the extra tariffs come to effect later.
The extension of the trade war marked the on-going negotiation between the U.S. and China. Although the “end” of the trade war is expected by both sides, the final agreements have yet reached.