The U.S. and China have yet to announce an extension to their tariff deadline, with tensions over several thorny issues flaring up again just as a fragile truce nears its expiry.
Following the latest bilateral meeting in Stockholm in July, Beijing had struck an optimistic tone, saying that both sides would work toward extending the tariff truce by another 90 days.
U.S. negotiators, however, had put the ball in President Donald Trump’s court on prolonging the tariff truce. Trump, so far, has offered little indication on whether he will go for an extension, stoking concerns that tensions between the world’s two largest economies could rise again.
In May, the two sides agreed to a 90-day tariff truce that reduced duties the prohibitive 145% in April while also pausing a series of punitive measures, allowing room for further negotiation to reach a lasting deal. That agreement is set to expire Tuesday.
China’s U.S.-bound shipments currently face a 20% tariff related to the country’s alleged role in the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. and a 10% baseline tariff, stacked on top of a 25% duty on certain goods imposed during Trump’s first term. American goods to China are subject to over 32.6% tariffs, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
