The US and China agreed on tariff reductions covering $60 billion in non-sensitive goods, while a broader trade agreement was pushed into 2027.
WEB DESK: A high-profile summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington produced limited concrete progress, with the two sides agreeing on proposed tariff reductions covering about $60 billion in non-sensitive goods while pushing a broader trade agreement into next year.
The outcome came despite the elaborate diplomatic setting surrounding Xi’s visit, including a state dinner at the White House. Reuters reported that the limited results highlighted continuing differences between Washington and Beijing on major economic and geopolitical issues.
Limited progress on trade
The United States and China said they had reached consensus on reducing tariffs covering a range of non-sensitive goods worth around $60 billion.
However, Reuters reported that the two sides had not established a timeline for implementing the tariff reductions. At the same time, the deadline for a broader trade agreement was pushed into 2027.
China also proposed reducing tariffs on selected US agricultural products, including corn and dairy products. In return, Washington is expected to lower tariffs on some Chinese imports, including toys, fireworks and Christmas decorations.
Soybeans, however, were not included on China’s list, according to Reuters, leaving one of the United States’ major agricultural exports exposed to future changes in bilateral relations.
Analysts see continuing differences
The summit has been described differently by analysts.
Craig Singleton of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies described the US-China relationship as a “managed stalemate,” arguing that the elaborate diplomatic setting contrasted with the limited substantive progress.
Drew Thompson of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies said the summit created a positive political atmosphere but did not significantly reduce the differences or mutual suspicions between the two countries.
Joe Mazur, a geopolitics analyst at Beijing-based consultancy Trivium, described the meeting as a “PR win” for China. That assessment is an analyst’s interpretation rather than an official conclusion from either government.
China retains economic leverage
China continues to hold significant influence through its dominant position in the production of rare earths and other minerals that are important to technology, automobile and defence industries.
Reuters reported that China’s trade with the rest of the world has also continued to grow despite US tariff pressure, giving Beijing additional economic leverage in negotiations with Washington.
The absence of a delegation of Chinese corporate executives accompanying Xi also raised questions about the prospects for a two-way investment arrangement previously discussed by the two leaders.
Analysts said the issue reflects continuing US concerns about Chinese investment and the broader difficulty of rebuilding economic trust between the world’s two largest economies.
Taiwan remains a major point of tension
Trade was not the only issue discussed during the summit.
Xi also pressed Trump on US support for Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of China. Trump did not publicly focus on the issue during his comments surrounding the latest summit.
That differed from the leaders’ May meeting, when Trump had described a pending $14 billion US arms package for Taiwan as a potential negotiating tool with Beijing.
Jeremy Chan, a senior analyst at Eurasia Group and former US diplomat in China, said continued meetings between Trump and Xi could give Beijing more time before Washington takes actions it opposes, including arms sales to Taiwan.
That assessment reflects the analyst’s interpretation of the strategic implications of the summit.
