China said it hopes to finalize reciprocal tariff cuts with the U.S. soon, potentially announcing details when Presidents Xi and Trump meet in Washington on Sept. 24. Commerce Ministry spokesperson Huang Ling said negotiators aim to implement reciprocal reductions on about $30 billion of goods "at an early date," without specifying items or timing. The talks are linked to a proposed U.S.-China Board of Trade and a parallel Board of Investment agreed in May. Barclays warned the tariff truce expires Nov. 10 and said targeted cuts are more likely than a broad trade deal.
China Seeks Early Deal With U.S. to Cut Tariffs Ahead of Xi–Trump Washington Summit
Visitors tour a Johnson & Johnson's booth promoting medical machines at the medical service sector for China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) at the Shougang venue in Beijing, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
BEIJING (AP) — China said Thursday it hopes to reach an agreement with the United States soon to lower import tariffs, raising expectations that an announcement could be timed with the leaders' meeting in Washington in two weeks.
At a regular briefing, Commerce Ministry spokesperson Huang Ling said negotiators are working to implement reciprocal tariff reductions covering roughly $30 billion of goods "at an early date," but she offered no immediate details on which products would be included or on timing.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are expected to meet in Washington on Sept. 24 for their third face-to-face talks in a year. Both governments have presented summit diplomacy as a tool to stabilize relations between the world's two largest economies amid competing strategic and economic interests.
“Leaders' diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-U.S. relations,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun.
At their previous meeting in Beijing in May, the two leaders agreed to set up a U.S.-China Board of Trade to oversee bilateral trade issues and a parallel Board of Investment. Those accords followed a temporary truce in a heated tariff dispute in which both sides imposed higher duties on each other's goods.
The proposed reciprocal cuts are a key component of the Board of Trade negotiations. Officials say the intention is to identify and pare back tariffs on equivalent volumes of "non-sensitive" goods on both sides, rather than pursue a broad, sweeping package.
Financial institutions have urged caution. Barclays noted this week that trade will be front and center at the summit but warned the current tariff truce expires on Nov. 10, and that targeted, limited reductions are more likely than a comprehensive deal.
With limited public detail from negotiators, markets and policymakers will be watching whether the leaders use the Sept. 24 meeting to announce concrete offers or simply to extend the negotiation timeline.
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