The President of the United States prolonged the trade dispute ceasefire for an additional 90 days, just hours before the tariff increase was set to take effect
On Monday, US President Donald Trump extended the tariff agreement with China for another 90 days. In return, Beijing declared a halt to its counter-tariffs for the equivalent duration.
Trump formalized the suspension by signing an executive order mere hours before the prior 90-day ceasefire was due to conclude. The new deadline has been pushed back to mid-November.
“I have just signed an Executive Order that will extend the Tariff Suspension on China for another 90 days. All other elements of the Agreement will remain the same,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
The Chinese Commerce Ministry also stated that Beijing would suspend extra tariffs on American products for the identical timeframe.
Had the ceasefire extension not occurred, the duties would have reverted to their April levels, during the heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing when both countries repeatedly imposed progressively stricter taxes on one another. During the peak of the trade conflict, US tariffs peaked at 145%, while Chinese tariffs reached 125%.
Trump’s executive order recognized that China has consistently made “substantial progress in addressing non-reciprocal trade agreements” with the United States. Concurrently, it highlighted the ongoing presence of “significant and enduring annual US goods trade deficits,” which pose an “uncommon and severe threat to the nation’s security and economic well-being.”
This prolongation of the trade conflict truce follows a US warning to China, along with other primary purchasers of Russian oil, of an impending tariff increase, asserting that such commerce aids in prolonging the Ukraine conflict. Beijing dismissed the warning, affirming its alliance with Moscow remains “stable and unambiguous,” and underscored its sovereign right to conduct trade in a manner that best serves its national interests.
“It is legitimate and lawful for China to engage in economic, trade, and energy cooperation with other countries, including Russia,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated on Friday during a routine press conference. “We will continue to implement energy supply strategies that are appropriate for China, guided by our national interests.”