STOCKHOLM (AP) \u2014 China’s top trade official said Tuesday that China and the U.S. agreed to work on extending a deadline for new tariffs on each other, following a two-day trade meeting in Stockholm. The U.S. side said extension plans were discussed, but not decided.<\/p>\n
Li Chenggang<\/a> told reporters after the meeting that the two sides had \u201cconstructive\u201d and \u201ccandid\u201d discussions and agreed to work on extending a pause in tariffs beyond the latest deadline of Aug. 12 for a comprehensive trade deal.<\/p>\n However, Li didn’t say how the extension would work, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the U.S. team would head back to Washington and \u201ctalk to the president about whether that\u2019s something that he wants to do,” though he did say such an extension was discussed during the talks.<\/p>\n U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the discussions \u201ccentered on the two economies.” He said the U.S. side expressed concerns that China is producing goods at a rate beyond what is sustained by global demand. It also expressed concerns that China was purchasing Iranian oil and supplying Russia with dual-use tech that could be used on the battlefield.<\/p>\n Bessent said the U.S. side reiterated its trade program and policy, which is to reduce the trade deficit and increase domestic manufacturing.<\/p>\n \u201cBut the overall tone of the meetings was very constructive,\u201d Bessent said.<\/p>\n Li, China\u2019s international trade representative, said the two sides had \u201ccomprehensive and in-depth\u201d discussions on macroeconomic issues, agreeing to keep close contact and to \u201ccommunicate with each other in a timely manner on trade and economic issues.\u201d<\/p>\n Chinese and U.S. trade officials opened their latest two-day round of trade talks in the Swedish capital on Monday to try to break a logjam over tariffs that have skewed the pivotal commercial ties between the world\u2019s two largest economies.<\/p>\n On the first day, the talks lasted nearly five hours behind closed doors at the Swedish prime minister\u2019s office. Before the talks resumed Tuesday, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson met with Bessent and Greer over breakfast.<\/p>\n The United States has struck deals over tariffs with some of its key trading partners \u2014 including Britain<\/a>, Japan<\/a> and the European Union<\/a> \u2014 since U.S. President Donald Trump announced \u201cLiberation Day\u201d tariffs<\/a> against dozens of countries in April. China remains perhaps the biggest unresolved case.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Chinese have been very pragmatic,\u201d Greer said in comments posted on social media by his office late Monday. \u201cObviously we\u2019ve had a lot of tensions over the years. We have tensions now, but the fact that we are regularly meeting with them to address these issues gives us a good footing for these negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n Story Continues <\/p>\n \u201cWhether there will be a deal or not, I can\u2019t say,\u201d Greer added in the clip from MSNBC\u2019s \u201cMorning Joe” posted on X. \u201cWhether there\u2019s room for an extension, I can\u2019t say at this point. But the conversations are constructive and they\u2019re going in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n