China’s Commerce Ministry is soliciting public opinions on proposed tariff reductions covering roughly $30 billion in bilateral trade with the United States. The move mirrors a similar process already underway on the American side, where the US Trade Representative opened its own public comment period on June 2.
This is the first tangible policy action to emerge from the Board of Trade framework established during the Trump-Xi meeting in May. The $30 billion starting point is limited to non-strategic goods that won’t trigger national security debates on either side.
What’s actually on the table
The proposed cuts target non-strategic goods, including low-end consumer items, certain agricultural products, and select energy commodities. Products considered for tariff reductions must clear a specific bar: they cannot pose economic or national security risks. That means semiconductors, rare earth minerals, and advanced technology are firmly off the menu for now.
The US side has set a July 10 deadline for stakeholder feedback, giving American businesses about five weeks to weigh in on which products should qualify. Beijing’s parallel consultation process signals that China isn’t just passively waiting for Washington to decide the terms.
