The US and China have agreed through their joint Board of Trade to lower tariffs on a set of non-sensitive goods, with each side covering ~$30B of the other's products, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said.
The Office of the US Trade Representative has since published lists of qualifying non-strategic goods, plus the Board of Trade's terms of reference and working procedures. Beijing released its own lists. Neither side attached an actual tariff cut.
The White House described the covered goods as US farm products, wood, and cosmetics, and Chinese small appliances, toys, and decorations. The US list runs to 77 product categories, mostly low-margin consumer items.
Together the two directions add up to $60B in non-sensitive goods, split evenly. For importers, the framework is defined but not yet delivered.
Two Deadlines and $60B of Goods Define the US China Truce
Key terms of the US China trade truce, as of Oct. 30, 2026
| Term | Detail | Source date |
|---|---|---|
| Goods covered by recommended tariff cuts | $30B each way, $60B total | Oct. 30, 2026 |
| US product categories on list | 77 categories, mostly toys, small appliances, kitchenware, holiday decorations | Oct. 2026 |
| Truce expiry, original | Nov. 10, 2026 | Sept. 23, 2026 |
| Truce expiry, extended | Jan. 10, 2027 | Sept. 23, 2026 |
| Tariff peak before truce | Mutual tariffs above 100% | Oct. 28, 2026 |
| Negotiators | Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, USTR Jamieson Greer, Vice Premier He Lifeng | Oct. 2026 |
| China AI export curb comment deadline | Nov. 15, 2026 | Oct. 16, 2026 |
Two deadlines, and only one is settled
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sept. 23 that the truce, set to lapse on Nov. 10, would instead run to Jan. 10, 2027. The extension followed talks with Vice Premier He Lifeng.
Nov. 10 hasn't gone away. China's suspension of its October 2025 export controls was written to expire that day under Announcement No. 70. On Sept. 28 the commerce ministry said the broader Kuala Lumpur arrangement now runs to January, without saying the suspension itself had moved.
US port fees on ships are also due to return on Nov. 10. Companies with cross-Pacific supply chains face two dates and no clarity on which governs their cargo.
How the truce got here
Trump and Xi Jinping reached the original deal in Busan, South Korea, in October 2025, after mutual tariffs had climbed above 100%. Washington calls it the Busan Agreement. Beijing calls it the Kuala Lumpur arrangement. Both sides said the terms would be renegotiated every year.
The deal eased curbs on rare earths and restarted Chinese purchases of American crops. Rare earths and critical minerals remain unresolved beyond a temporary reprieve, per the US-China Business Council.
Bessent has pushed to steady trade flows while keeping security-related export controls intact. Technology sits outside the truce entirely.
China published draft artificial intelligence export rules on Oct. 16 that would add 23 technologies to its restricted list, covering advanced models, autonomous agents, and chip design tools. Overseas users could still reach Chinese AI through websites and cloud platforms, while transfers of the underlying technology would need approval. Public comment closes Nov. 15.
Toys and kitchenware get tariff relief on paper, while chips, minerals, and models stay locked behind national-security lines that neither capital shows any interest in moving.
