Washington, Sep 28 (IANS) The United States and China have approved lists of goods worth roughly $30 billion on each side for possible tariff cuts, according to documents released after President Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington. The lower tariffs have yet to take effect.
The lists are the first concrete proposal under the US-China Board of Trade, established during President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing in May. The board is focused initially on trade in non-sensitive goods between the two countries.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the proposed treatment could improve access to China for American agricultural products and medical devices. On the US side, the published list includes household goods, toys and other consumer products imported from China.
“As a direct result of the strong relationship between President Trump and President Xi, the United States and China, under the auspices of the new Board of Trade, have recommended $30 billion of trade in non-sensitive goods on each side that could benefit from more favorable tariff treatment in the future,” Greer said in a statement on Sunday.
The distinction is significant: the board has approved the lists, but neither government has announced tariff reductions for them. The framework says future cuts will be decided and implemented through each country’s domestic legal processes. It gives no date or proposed rate for a reduction.
Greer said the plan could improve market access for about 30 per cent of US exports to China. That figure is his administration’s assessment; the framework itself says the two lists were valued using annual bilateral trade figures from 2024.
The published US. import list contains 77 tariff entries. They cover items such as plastic tableware, bed and table linen, umbrellas, kitchen appliances, playing cards, sports equipment and Christmas ornaments. Some entries cover only specified products within a broader tariff category.
The toy entry, for example, excludes items enabled with radio frequency, Wi-Fi, Ethernet or Bluetooth. Other narrowly defined entries include certain children’s seats, play yards and furniture. The list says its descriptions are generally for information; the tariff classifications govern its scope, subject to the stated exceptions.
Greer also cited agricultural and energy purchases as priorities in the administration’s wider trade dealings with China. His statement did not announce a new purchase commitment under this proposal.
The board’s procedures name Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Greer as the U.S. principals, and Vice Premier He Lifeng as China’s principal. Deputies from both sides developed the product proposals and will monitor trade in the goods covered.
Those deputies are expected to meet at least quarterly. The framework says they may propose changes to the lists, though the two governments do not expect to adjust them more than once a year. They may also discuss adding further products.
Trump and Xi established the board during Trump’s May visit to Beijing, according to Greer’s statement. Following Xi’s visit to Washington, the two sides announced the approved lists as the next step in its work.
The board’s stated mission is to improve bilateral trade. Its procedures also allow discussion of other arrangements, including a possible working group on agriculture. Any preferential tariff treatment for the goods announced on Sunday remains subject to further decisions by both governments.
–IANS
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