China and the US discuss tariff cuts ahead of Trump-Xi meeting

China and the United States discussed reducing tariffs and expanding agricultural trade during the first meeting of the Joint Trade Council, ahead of an anticipated meeting between Trump and Xi next week, without announcing a new agreement.

China and the United States discussed reducing tariffs and expanding agricultural trade during the first meeting of the Joint Trade Council, as part of efforts to implement previous economic understandings, ahead of an anticipated meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping next week. China's Ministry of Commerce said the meeting was held via video link and addressed the implementation of results from previous economic and trade talks between the two countries, including proposed arrangements for mutual tariff reductions, as well as trade in agricultural products and other issues of mutual interest. The ministry described the discussions as candid, in-depth, and constructive, affirming that both sides will continue to use the Trade Council to address mutual concerns, expand areas of cooperation, and reduce existing differences. The Chinese statement did not specify whether the talks yielded new understandings, nor did it announce a date for the proposed tariff reductions to take effect. The talks focus on a trade arrangement involving mutual reductions in tariffs on goods with annual trade volume of about $30 billion per side, totaling $60 billion. The two countries had reached preliminary understandings on this arrangement following economic talks and a summit between Trump and Xi in Washington last September, but the necessary steps to implement the reductions have not yet been completed.