Story perspectives

U.S. delays new China tariffs until Trump-Xi summit

By Drooid · Sep 21, 2026, 4:26 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

US Officials Prep Summit

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng to prepare for President Donald Trump’s summit with Xi.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer proposed a U.S.-China AI incident notification mechanism.
U.S. officials postponed new tariffs on Chinese imports until after the summit on September 24, 2024.
The agreement covers $30 billion of less-sensitive products from each side under the previous leaders’ deal.

Summary

He Lifeng Leads Delegation

U.S. equities rose in pre-market trade as the Trump-Xi summit approached.
The SPY ETF gained 0.64%.
U.S. is drafting rules permitting pharma firms to invest in Chinese drug development.
He Lifeng, a Chinese official, will lead a delegation to the United States for trade talks.
U.S. auto industry groups urged President Donald Trump to maintain the ban on Chinese vehicle sales for national-security reasons.

History

Historical Context

Richard Nixon’s February 1972 trip to Beijing, backed by National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger, ended 23 years of U.S.–China hostility and produced the Shanghai Communiqué with Premier Zhou Enlai, opening trade and easing the Sino-Soviet split. That breakthrough set a precedent for later high-level talks, which today’s Trump-Xi summit invokes as a model for managing tariffs and technology cooperation.

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US Officials Prep Summit

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng to prepare for President Donald Trump’s summit with Xi.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer proposed a U.S.-China AI incident notification mechanism.
U.S. officials postponed new tariffs on Chinese imports until after the summit on September 24, 2024.
The agreement covers $30 billion of less-sensitive products from each side under the previous leaders’ deal.

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