Washington, D.C. — U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that his administration will reduce tariffs on Chinese imports, signaling a possible breakthrough in trade relations between Washington and Beijing.
The announcement followed a high-level meeting in South Korea between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s delegation. Trump said the U.S. would cut tariffs on Chinese goods by 10 percent — bringing the rate down from 57 percent to 47 percent.
Describing the talks as “encouraging and productive,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, “We’ve agreed to move our trade partnership into a new phase. This 10 percent reduction will help both nations’ industries and consumers while strengthening global economic stability.”
Renewed Cooperation After Trade Tensions
Trump reignited a trade war with China at the start of his second term, raising tariffs to as high as 145 percent. China retaliated with duties of up to 125 percent on U.S. goods. Later, officials from both countries met in Switzerland and agreed to temporarily ease tensions by reducing tariffs by 115 percentage points.
More recently, China tightened its export restrictions on rare minerals — a move that pushed the U.S. to strike a new mineral supply deal with Australia. Trump said the latest discussions in South Korea had restored a “spirit of cooperation” between the two countries.
He confirmed that China has agreed not to impose further restrictions on rare mineral exports for at least one year, while the U.S. plans to expand exports of advanced semiconductor chips to China.
Planned Visits and Trade Deal Ahead
Trump announced that he will visit China in April, with President Xi expected to make a return visit to the United States shortly after. Although both sides described the talks as positive, a formal trade agreement has yet to be signed. “We’ll be finalizing the trade deal very soon,” Trump said.
So far, Beijing has not issued any official statement regarding the discussions or the outcomes of the South Korea meeting.
