China says it hopes to agree with U.S. on tariff reductions ‘at an early date’
Chinese officials have expressed hope for a reciprocal tariff reduction agreement with the U.S. ahead of a planned meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump. The negotiations are part of a broader effort to stabilize trade relations and establish a bilateral Board of Trade.
Why it matters
Significant for global trade stability and the economic relationship between the world's two largest economies.
China and the U.S. hope to reach an agreement on lowering import taxes soon, a Chinese government spokesperson said Thursday (September 10, 2026), fuelling expectations that an announcement could come when the leaders of the two countries meet in two weeks.
Negotiators are striving to implement reciprocal tariff reductions on $30 billion of goods “at an early date", Commerce Ministry spokesperson Huang Ling said at a weekly briefing.
She did not elaborate. U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet in Washington on September 24 for what will be their third face-to-face talks in the past year. Both governments characterise the top leader talks as a way to stabilise relations in an era of competing interests between the world's two largest economies.
“Leaders' diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-U.S. relations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Thursday (September 10).
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