The US isn’t planning to ease up on China anytime soon. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has made clear that tariffs on Chinese imports will likely stay higher than those imposed on other countries, reinforcing the view that elevated duties are less a negotiating tactic and more a permanent fixture of American trade policy.
The new normal in US-China trade
Greer, who has served as US Trade Representative since February 2025, framed the tariffs as a strategic tool rather than a temporary measure. The underlying logic is familiar: China’s trade practices, from overcapacity to restricted market access, justify a baseline of duties that exceed what the US charges its other trading partners.
A US-China Board of Trade was established following a Trump-Xi summit in May 2026 in Beijing, tasked with overseeing tariff reductions on roughly $30 billion in goods. Those reductions target non-sensitive categories like agriculture, energy, and medical devices. The broader, more consequential tariff rates remain untouched.
China has also committed to purchasing US agricultural goods exceeding $10 billion annually over the next three years, including existing soybean agreements.
