A foreign trader selects inflatable toys at the Yiwu International Trade Market in Yiwu, East China's Zhejiang Province, on March 12, 2025. Foreign merchants have flocked to the "world's capital of small commodities" to place orders, indicating a strong overseas demand for Chinese goods. Photo: VCG

The China Toy and Juvenile Products Association (CTJPA) posted a statement on Friday calling for the US government to maintain the zero-tariff policy on toys as stipulated by the World Trade Organization (WTO). The statement was supported by 21 global industry associations, including the Asia Toy & Play Association, the British Toy & Hobby Association, and Toy Industries of Europe.

The appeal, posted via the CTJPA's official WeChat account, highlights industry leaders' concern that imposing tariffs on toys would hinder global consumption and restrict the choices available to young learners. The appeal also echoed a call last week from the Toy Association, a US-based industry body, for toys "to be excluded from all tariffs." 

The CTJPA said that toys are fundamental for children's growth and education. After China's accession to the WTO, the zero-tariff policy on toys fostered a stable trade environment that has benefitted both producers and children worldwide.

However, recent US tariff plans for Chinese goods have raised concerns among American toy brands, retailers, and Chinese manufacturers, and the CTJPA warned that tariffs would harm the shared interests of manufacturers and users.

China is the US' primary source of toy imports, so a move by the US to raise tariffs would harm US children and consumers the most, an analyst close to the CTJPA told the Global Times on Friday.

"Toys are essential for a joyful childhood, and tariffs would make it more difficult for US children to access high-quality and affordable toys. Guided by the principle of 'for the good of children,' the CTJPA and toy associations worldwide have jointly issued an initiative, hoping to maintain zero tariffs on toys," said the analyst.

Official data from the CTJPA shows that in 2024, China exported $39.9 billion worth of toys (excluding games) worldwide. Exports to the US reached $10.6 billion, up 4.2 percent year-on-year, and accounted for 76.3 percent of the US' total toy imports.

The CTJPA said that unilateral US tariff hikes have triggered a new series of challenges in global trade, leaving both American and Chinese companies at a disadvantage. It called on all US brands, retailers, and Chinese suppliers to address shared concerns through dialogue and mutually beneficial arrangements, and said they should work together to overcome current difficulties and avoid unilateral actions that risk destabilizing supply chains.

On March 21, 2025, the Toy Association released a statement on its website underlining industry-wide unity on the importance of keeping toys tariff-free. "We, the undersigned members of the global toy industry, reaffirm our commitment to ensuring toys are tariff-free around the world," read the statement, adding that toys are "essential products" that are vital for children's well-being and growth.

These developments come amid repeated rounds of US tariffs. The administration of President Donald Trump previously imposed an additional 20 percent levy on Chinese imports on March 4, followed by the announcement on Wednesday of a new 25 percent tariff on automobiles and certain auto parts.

China has repeatedly expressed opposition to US tariff actions. On Thursday, in responding to questions about how the US' 25 percent tariffs on imported cars would affect trade cooperation between China and the US, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that trade and tariff wars have no winners. No country in the world can thrive and prosper through imposing tariffs, Guo noted. 

The US tariffs violate WTO rules, undermine the rules-based multilateral trading system, hurt the common interests of people from all countries and will not help address the US' own problems, Guo said.