Top officials from the Trump administration announced Sunday that the United States and China have made significant strides toward resolving their long-standing trade conflict, following two days of negotiations in Geneva. The talks come just weeks after President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs of up to 145% on most Chinese goods, triggering a fierce response from Beijing.
"I'm happy to report that we've made substantial progress between the United States and China in the very important trade talks," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated in a brief appearance in Switzerland, calling the discussions "productive."
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer confirmed that a deal had been reached during the weekend meetings, describing the negotiations with China's Vice Premier He Lifeng and other senior officials as "very constructive."
"The president declared a national emergency and imposed tariffs, and we're confident that the deal we struck with our Chinese partners will help us to resolve work toward resolving that national emergency," Greer said. He emphasized the rapid nature of the agreement, adding, "It's important to understand how quickly we were able to come to agreement, which reflects that perhaps the differences were not so large as maybe thought."
President Trump had previously posted on Truth Social that the meetings represented a "total reset negotiated in a friendly, but constructive, manner," and that "great progress" had been made toward opening Chinese markets to U.S. businesses. He also suggested that he was open to reducing the tariffs to 80%, pending reciprocal concessions from Beijing.
Trump had paused his broader April 2 tariff initiative aimed at dozens of nations, but intensified pressure on China after it imposed its own retaliatory measures, including 125% duties on American goods. China's Ministry of Commerce said earlier this month that it was "evaluating" an invitation from Washington to engage in talks, noting that "the U.S. has recently taken the initiative on many occasions to convey information to China through relevant parties."
Though specific terms of the U.S.-China agreement have not yet been released, Bessent told reporters that further details would be provided on Monday. "We will be giving details tomorrow. But I can tell you that the talks were productive," he said. He added that both he and Greer had briefed Trump, whom he described as "fully informed."
The breakthrough in Geneva follows the Trump administration's announcement of a separate trade agreement with the United Kingdom last week. That deal preserved a 10% tariff on certain U.K. imports but eliminated others, notably on steel and automobiles. Trump celebrated the agreement, stating, "The deal includes billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially in agriculture."
As of Sunday, Greer stressed that despite initial skepticism, the outcome of the weekend talks marked a critical turning point. "These are very tough negotiators," he said of the Chinese delegation. They "worked very diligently", and the last two days were "very constructive."
