---
title: "US and China back tariff recommendations on $30 billion of goods each way"
url: "https://etf.net/news/us-and-china-back-a-30-billion-tariff-plan-without-new-rates-2026-09-26"
published_at: "2026-09-26T12:09:58.015Z"
updated_at: "2026-09-26T12:09:58.015Z"
byline: "ETF.net Research"
---

# US and China back tariff recommendations on $30 billion of goods each way

The White House said the United States and China reached consensus on Friday, September 25, on recommendations for more favorable tariff treatment covering $30 billion of non-sensitive goods each way, with no new rate or start date.

By ETF.net Research. Published Sep 26, 2026.

China and the United States have described lower tariffs on **$30 billion** of goods in each direction, and neither government has published a new rate.

President Xi Jinping ended a state visit to Washington on Friday, hosted by President Donald Trump. On Saturday, September 26, China's foreign ministry said the two countries had agreed to a matching tariff reduction, and that the leaders had recognized work their economic teams had already done.

The White House fact sheet, dated Friday, used a softer word. It said the two sides had reached consensus on recommendations for more favorable tariff treatment.

A recommendation is not a duty a customs officer can apply. The documents give no new rate, no complete product list, and no start date.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Friday that the two governments had reached agreement.

"If we have trade disputes in the future or if there are tariff measures in the future, we just leave those things to the side," he said.

He was describing a basket of goods the two sides would keep out of a future tariff dispute. He said more details would come on Monday.

The fact sheet calls the outcome a recommendation. He called it an agreement.

Last year the United States sold China $106 billion of goods and bought $309 billion, the Census Bureau reports. Thirty billion dollars is more than a quarter of those exports, and about a tenth of those imports.

For American exporters, that is a large slice of what they sell to China. For Chinese exporters, it is a small slice of a much larger flow to the United States.

The tariff recommendation has no start date. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that a pause due to expire on November 10, 2026, will run until January 10, 2027, to leave more time for the larger economic talks.

Some promises already have a number and a year. In May the White House said China would buy at least $17 billion of American farm goods a year in 2027 and 2028, with 2026 counted for only part of the year, on top of soybean purchases promised in October 2025.

This week's fact sheet adds coal. China will import at least 10 million metric tons of American coal in 2027, and the same amount again in 2028, the White House said.

The recommendations sit with the U.S.-China Board of Trade, which the two governments created in May and put to work this week, the White House said.

The fact sheet gives examples, not a finished schedule. American goods include agricultural products, seafood, timber, cosmetics and medical devices. Chinese goods include small appliances, toys, holiday decorations and children's car seats.

The two governments also split on a name. The White House said the leaders agreed to use the term super intelligence rather than artificial intelligence for the new technologies they were discussing, and set the next exchange by November. Beijing called it a dialogue on artificial intelligence, set the next round for November, and said the two sides would open a channel for incidents.

Greer said the negotiations did not cover a small amount of high-quality American chips that require licenses.

"These are the crown jewels of American technology," he said.

As of July, the Congressional Research Service estimated average US tariffs on Chinese goods at about 36.5%, and China's average tariffs on American goods at about 31%. Greer said more details would come on Monday. Until they include a rate and a start date, the duty on the books is the duty a shipper pays.

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