Beginning Wednesday, shipments arriving in the United States from China and Hong Kong worth less than $800 could face 54 percent tariffs.

The president has backtracked repeatedly on his tariff policies, creating a whiplash with downsides and few clear benefits so far.

The White House last month paused far-reaching “reciprocal tariffs” on dozens of countries, just hours after the measures took effect. Trump has also eased sector-specific tariffs targeting autos, and rolled back duties on some goods from Mexico and Canada.