The U.S.’ trade czar on Tuesday announced the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative was accepting public recommendations on categories of “nonsensitive” goods that would benefit most from lower tariffs as the country moves forward with its new “Board of Trade with China.”
The trade mechanism was one of the most concrete economic commitments to emerge from President Donald Trump‘s high-profile state visit to Beijing from May 13 to 16.
Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping sought areas of common ground after years or trade tensions that rose to a crescendo last year after Trump hiked tariffs on Chinese goods to 145 percent. Beijing retaliated with a range of measures, including duties on American agricultural products and curbs on the export of critical minerals.
“We welcome comments from interested parties on effective ways to facilitate mutually beneficial trade with China while continuing to use tariffs to defend American economic and national security and promote balanced and reciprocal trade,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement.
The administration will work with stakeholders—including in the manufacturing, fishing, and ranching industries and small businesses—to “identify non-sensitive goods trade that can deliver results.”
The call for feedback is a positive step toward reducing trade tensions on the heels of the Trump-Xi summit, Xin Qiang, deputy director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University, told Chinese state media outlet the Global Times Wednesday.
“Since the existing trade dispute was primarily triggered by U.S. tariff actions, any substantive reduction in U.S. duties could help ease long-standing tensions and create space for more constructive engagement in bilateral trade,” he said.
The deadline for submitting the comments is July 10.
This is a developing story. It will be updated with additional information.
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