China, US finish Stockholm trade talks with agreement to extend tariff pause

China and the United States agreed to extend their pause on tariff increases aimed at each other’s imports, following two days of talks in Stockholm that marked a third round of high-level trade negotiations between the world’s two largest economies.

The two sides did not announce any breakthroughs or specify the duration of the extension during a third round of high-level trade negotiations between the world’s two largest economies.

“According to the consensus between China and the US, both sides will continue to push for the continued extension of the pause on the 24 per cent part of the reciprocal tariffs on the US side as well as the countermeasures on the Chinese side”, Li Chenggang, China’s Vice-Minister of Commerce, said after the negotiations concluded on Tuesday.

Beijing’s lead trade negotiator added that both countries were satisfied with the implementation of the consensus reached during their previous round of talks in Geneva and London.

Li also shared that both sides had “comprehensive and in depth” exchange over each other’s macroeconomic situations and had “candid” discussions on each others’ concerns.

The talks, led by Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, came ahead of the August 12 expiration of a 90-day tariff suspension, a pause agreed to in May

during the first round of negotiations in Geneva.