Senior negotiators from the United States and China have agreed in principle on a framework to revive trade talks, according to Chinese state media reports on Wednesday.
The breakthrough follows two days of meetings in London that aimed to ease tensions after a series of disputes threatened to derail a fragile truce.
The discussions, held at Lancaster House near Buckingham Palace, focused on contentious issues including mineral exports, advanced technologies, and the implementation of the Geneva agreement reached last month. The Geneva accord had paused most of the heavy tariffs both countries imposed during an escalating trade war.
Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Li Chenggang said the two sides agreed on a framework for putting into action the consensus reached by President Xi Jinping and former U.S. President Donald Trump, who spoke by phone last week in an effort to calm relations. Details of the framework and any plans for future rounds of negotiations have not yet been disclosed.
The Chinese delegation was led by Vice Premier He Lifeng and included Commerce Minister Wang Wentao. They met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Despite this progress, former U.S. trade negotiator Wendy Cutler warned that the delay had already consumed a third of the 90-day window agreed upon in Geneva. “Only sixty days remain to address issues of concern, including unfair trade practices, excess capacity, transshipment and fentanyl,” said Cutler, now vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute.
Since Geneva, the two nations have exchanged sharp words over key issues such as semiconductor technology, student visas, and export restrictions on rare earth minerals — crucial materials for global industries like electric vehicles and electronics. China, the world's top producer of rare earths, may consider easing the restrictions it introduced in April, which rattled automakers and tech firms, AP reports.
Beijing is also pressing Washington to relax restrictions on Chinese access to advanced chip-making technologies. However, Cutler noted that U.S. willingness to discuss its export controls is highly unusual and may set a precedent. “By doing so, the U.S. has opened a door for China to insist on adding export controls to future negotiating agendas,” she said.
Meanwhile, in Washington, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the U.S. government can continue collecting Trump-era tariffs — not just on China but also on other countries — as legal challenges to the policy continue.
Commenting from the White House, Trump reaffirmed his stance on trade with China: “If we don’t open up China, maybe we won’t do anything,” he said. “But we want to open up China.”
