US and China discuss $30 billion in tariff cuts ahead of Trump-Xi summit

Washington and Beijing are quietly hashing out reciprocal tariff reductions worth roughly $30 billion per side, setting the table for a September meeting between President Trump and President Xi Jinping that could reshape the trajectory of the world’s most consequential trade relationship. The discussions focus on what trade negotiators call “non-sensitive” goods. Think US agricultural and energy exports heading east, and Chinese manufacturing inputs heading west. What’s on the table Huang Ling, a spokesperson for China’s Commerce Ministry, said on September 10 that the goal is to implement reductions “at an early date.” The talks build on a framework hammered out during the May 2026 Beijing summit, where the two sides established enough common ground to keep the broader trade truce intact. That truce, reached in October 2025 after months of escalating economic tension, doesn’t expire until November 10, 2026. The next inflection point arrives September 24, when Trump and Xi are scheduled to meet in Washington. This will represent the third in-person dialogue between the two presidents within a year. Bilateral trade between the two countries has already exceeded $400 billion in the ...