On August 11, 2025, in a continued effort to recalibrate trade relations with China, President Trump issued a new executive order extending the suspension of certain tariffs on Chinese goods for importation into the United States. China subsequently confirmed in a joint statement that it too would delay new tariff measures against US goods for now. These moves reflect ongoing discussions between the two countries.
Earlier this year, the US administration declared a national emergency in response to trade deficits. A series of executive orders followed, imposing then adjusting then readjusting tariffs on Chinese goods. In May 2025, a temporary 90-day suspension of these tariffs was announced to allow space for negotiations.
With that suspension due to expire at 12:01 a.m. EDT on August 12, 2025—with a 34% reciprocal duty rate set to come into effect and rates as high as 145% looming—the latest executive order postpones the deadline to 12:01 a.m. EST on November 10, 2025. In the interim, the reciprocal tariff for most Chinese goods will continue to stand at 10%, with a further 20% tariff added under executive orders 14195 and 14228, which address fentanyl-related issues.
The suspension will allow the United States and China additional time to address issues that have so far thwarted a meaningful deal. A fact sheet released by the White House referred to “multiple rounds of productive negotiations to address trade reciprocity and national security concerns,” with the executive order stating that China “continues to take significant steps toward remedying non-reciprocal trade arrangements[.]” Significant issues, such as the United States’ access to China’s supplies of rare earth minerals and China’s purchases of Russian and Iranian oil, would need to be further discussed between the two countries.
