The United States and China held extended trade talks in Stockholm on Monday, aiming to secure a fresh truce ahead of an August 12 tariff deadline and lay the groundwork for a potential meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year.
The five-hour meeting, held at Sweden’s government headquarters, brought together U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.
The talks follow preliminary agreements reached in May and June that paused tit-for-tat tariffs and restored rare earth mineral flows. Without a more durable deal, triple-digit U.S. duties are set to return, potentially grinding bilateral trade to a halt and rattling global supply chains.
Negotiators exited the venue around 8 p.m. local time without addressing reporters. Discussions are expected to resume Tuesday. Speaking at a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland, Trump said, “I’d love to see China open up their country.”
The Financial Times reported that Washington has paused new tech export restrictions to avoid disrupting negotiations and to build momentum for a potential Trump-Xi summit in October or November. A 90-day extension of the U.S.-China truce may support planning for the meeting between the two leaders.
