Lutnick: Beijing ‘Eating’ Majority of China’s 52 Percent Average Tariffs

‘Our average tariff rate is not that high,‘ he said of tariffs on other countries. ’Most of the world is less than 15 percent.’

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick speaks at the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh on July 15, 2025. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that foreign governments have been bearing the brunt of U.S. tariffs over 15 percent, with China paying the lion’s share.

“China is paying an average tariff of 52 percent. But the government of China is eating most of it. So while that’s a high average when you count in China, the government of China is covering most of that cost,” Lutnick said on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” on Sept. 11.