We touted "substantial progress" in tariff talks with China, but details remained small

Geneva - U.S.-led U.S. negotiators talked with China and China to cheer on resolving the differences between the world’s two leading economic powers after officials imposed severe tariffs and Beijing retaliation.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday that “significant progress” was made at the weekend meeting but provided little information on the accuracy of the negotiations. More details will be taken in Monday’s briefing, he said.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer suggested an agreement had been reached, but no details were provided. He and Bessent briefly spoke to reporters once spoke in the stately villa, the residence of the Swiss ambassador in Geneva, without any questions.

"It is important to understand how quickly we can reach consensus, which reflects that the difference may not be that big," Greer said. But he also stressed that Trump's top priorities meant ending the trade deficit with China, which hit $263 billion last year.

"We are confident that the deal we have reached with our Chinese partners will help us resolve and work hard to resolve national emergencies," Greer said.

The White House then issued a statement titled “The United States announced China Trade Agreement in Geneva” but only offered the same offer from Bessent and Greer.

The Chinese delegation held a subsequent press conference, which described what happened as "a frank, in-depth and constructive dialogue." China's vice premier said both sides agreed to "establish an advisory mechanism" to further discuss trade and economic issues.

Chinese negotiators also said they and the U.S. team will issue a joint statement on Monday, although the time remains uncertain.

"I think it's good news for the world whenever this statement is made," said Lee Changgang, ambassador of China's World Trade Organization.

Trump is eager to declare the meeting a victory. Even before the last day of negotiations began Sunday, the president proposed on his social media website that the “huge progress” he suggested to him could be a “complete reset” of tariffs that put the global economy at an advantage.

However, Beijing appears to have a greater measure of the overall direction of the negotiations, noting that in the Saturday night editorial published before the negotiations began the second day, it would “stand firmly reject any proposals that undermine the core principles or undermine the broader reason for global equity.”

In a press conference on Sunday evening, he said: “The global trade war caused or initiated by the United States has attracted global attention.

"But if the United States insists on forcing this war against us, China will not be afraid of it and will fight to the end," the deputy prime minister said.

Negotiations may go a long way to stabilize the U.S.-China's impasse is a world market that is stalemate in ports where goods from China are reluctant to unload until they get the final news of tariffs.

Trump raised U.S. tariffs on China in total 145% last month, and China retaliated by attacking U.S. import taxes with a 125% tax. The high tariffs are basically attributed to countries boycotting each other’s products, destroying trade last year by more than $660 billion.

Still, senior members of the Trump administration are following the president's leadership, insisting that a difficult reset of U.S.-China trade relations may be happening.

"Secretary Becente made it clear that one of his goals is to downgrade," said U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who is not in Geneva on Sunday's Fox News, adding that both the U.S. and China impose tariffs that are "too high to do business, but that's why they're talking now."

"We are consumers of the world. Everyone wants to sell their own goods here." So they need to do business with the United States and we are using the power of the economy to open the economy to exporters. ”

"There is a good chance that the relationship will be restarted. It seems that the Chinese are very eager to play the ball and bring things back together," Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Commission, told Fox News Channel's "Sunday Morning Futures."

"We essentially start from scratch, starting with the Chinese, and they seem to think they really want to rebuild a relationship that is good for both of us," Hassett said.

The negotiations marked the first time the two sides discussed these issues face to face. The prospect of a major breakthrough is still small, but even the tariffs taken at the same time are small, especially those obtained at the same time, can help restore some confidence.

"The urgent need to start degrading the U.S.-China trade war is a positive sign that both sides can gracefully surpass the quarrel they had to call first," said Jake Werner, director of East Asia Programs at Quincy's responsible Cattecraft Department of Justice in an email.

The Trump administration has imposed tariffs on countries around the world, but the fight with China is the most intense. Trump's import tax on goods from China includes 20% charges aimed at putting pressure on Beijing to prevent the flow of synthetic opioid fentanyl into the United States.

The remaining 125% of the disputes involved can be traced back to Trump's first term and imposed tariffs on China at the time, meaning that the total tariffs on certain Chinese goods could be more than 145%.

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Bodeen reported from Weissert in Taipei, Taiwan and Washington.