US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping used their September 24 White House summit to extend a trade truce by two months, pushing the next deadline to January 10. The arrangement delays a possible return of higher tariffs but leaves the central disputes between the two countries unresolved.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Beijing was meeting its earlier commitment to buy 25 million tonnes of soybeans but remained behind on a pledge to purchase $17 billion in other agricultural goods. US officials also said Chinese deliveries of rare earths were falling short. The extension gives negotiators more time, but companies still face uncertainty over tariffs, technology restrictions and access to critical supplies.
Taiwan remained another point of friction. China’s Xinhua news agency reported that Xi urged Washington to handle the Taiwan issue cautiously and oppose independence. There was no immediate White House account of the exchange, and the source reported no sign that the Trump administration planned to change its established wording. US law requires Washington to provide Taiwan with means to defend itself.
The leaders also described different approaches to artificial intelligence. Trump said he favoured relying on the Justice Department rather than introducing new federal guardrails, while Xi called for the two governments to manage AI development and keep it under human control. Further meetings in Shenzhen and Miami were expected before the end of the year, leaving another opportunity to address the outstanding trade questions.