The United States and China discussed tariff cuts, agricultural trade and other issues Friday at the first meeting of a new bilateral trade council, China’s Commerce Ministry said Saturday, according to Reuters.
The talks come days before President Trump is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. The White House said Trump will meet Xi on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Shenzhen, according to Reuters.
China, US discuss tariffs, farm trade ahead of Xi-Trump meeting https://t.co/8ABKSxAsU7
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 14, 2026
What Beijing said about the talks
The meeting was held by video under the two countries’ economic and trade consultation mechanism, Bloomberg News reported. China’s Commerce Ministry said the two sides discussed tariffs, a reciprocal “30 billion for 30 billion” tariff-reduction arrangement, agricultural trade and other issues of mutual concern, according to the ministry’s statement.
“The two sides held candid, in-depth and constructive exchanges on implementing the outcomes of previous China-US economic and trade talks,” the ministry said, according to Reuters.
The ministry did not say whether any agreements were reached, Reuters reported. It said both sides will keep using the council to address their trade concerns, expand areas of cooperation and reduce outstanding issues, according to Bloomberg News.
A tariff deal still not finalized
The two sides proposed a $60 billion package of reciprocal tariff cuts, including roughly $17 billion worth of U.S. farm goods that China imported in 2024, but the plan has yet to be finalized, Reuters reported. Beijing has repeatedly urged Washington to implement the tariff-reduction deal and has called it a prerequisite for buying more U.S. farm goods, according to Reuters.
Chinese purchases of U.S. farm goods other than soybeans are on track to hit a seven-year low this year, despite an agreement to buy $17 billion annually through 2028, according to a Reuters analysis of customs data cited in Reuters’ report.
What it could mean for American farmers
The American Farm Bureau Federation said China’s list of goods under the “30-for-30” framework includes major U.S. farm products such as beef, pork, poultry, dairy, corn, wheat, rice, sorghum and specialty crops, but excludes whole soybeans. The Farm Bureau noted that the framework is not a purchase commitment and that final tariff rates and implementation dates had not been released.
According to the Farm Bureau, China’s Commerce Ministry has said about 90% of the covered products are expected to see tariffs cut to China’s standard most-favored-nation rates. The group said that would put covered U.S. products on equal tariff footing with South American competitors such as Brazil and Argentina, while lower tariffs alone do not guarantee sales.
Neither the Commerce Ministry statement nor the outlets’ reports described any specific new tariff rates coming out of Friday’s meeting.
Sources
- Reuters on X
- CNA (Reuters): China, US discuss tariffs, farm trade at first trade council meeting
- The Straits Times (Reuters): China, US discuss tariffs and farm trade ahead of Xi-Trump meeting
- Bloomberg News: China, US Discuss Tariffs in First Meeting of Trade Council
- China Ministry of Commerce statement
- American Farm Bureau Federation: U.S.-China Trade Framework: What We Know Now
Sources cited
- https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/china-us-tariffs-trade-council-meeting-6551456
- https://www.straitstimes.com/world/china-us-discuss-tariffs-farm-trade-ahead-of-xi-trump-meeting
- https://news.bloomberglaw.com/international-trade/china-the-us-discuss-tariffs-in-first-meeting-of-trade-council
- https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/syxwfb/art/2026/art_6d9023bbcdd04810a810ef2059ecad2f.html
- https://www.fb.org/intel/markets/u-s-china-trade-framework-what-we-know-now
Sources
- Original post: Reuters (@Reuters) on X, Nov 14, 2026
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