Trump weighs $30B tariff cuts

President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14 with trade back at the center of the U.S.-China agenda, but on narrower terms than the tariff fights that defined much of Trump’s earlier approach. U.S. and Chinese officials are weighing cuts to tariffs on about $30 billion of mostly non-sensitive imports as part of a managed-trade framework, according to a Reuters report published on May 13. The proposal would leave broader restrictions on strategic sectors in place while carving out room for more trade in goods that both sides judge to be outside core national-security disputes. Trump’s state visit to China runs from May 13 to May 15, China’s Foreign Ministry said. ### Why are Trump and Xi talking about only $30 billion, not a broader rollback? The $30 billion figure points to a limited basket of goods rather than a broad reset of the trade war. Reuters reported that officials from both countries could identify roughly that amount of imports on which tariffs might be reduced so the goods can move without crossing what negotiators see as national-security red lines. (usnews.com) Jamieson Greer, the U.S. trade representative, first raised the idea of a “Board of Trade” in March as a potential deliverable for the summit, Reuters reported. The plan, as described in that report, shifts the focus away from trying to remake China’s state-led model and toward numerical targets and managed flows in non-strategic sectors. (usnews.com) ### What does “managed trade” mean in this case? Reuters described the emerging approach as a mechanism for non-sensitive goods, with tariff relief tied to categories both governments are prepared to bless. That would amount to selective liberalization rather than the removal of the wider tariff and export-control architecture built over the past year. (usnews.com) CNBC reported on May 14 that analysts were looking for stabilization rather than full reconciliation in the relationship. In that telling, the summit could ease some pressure on companies exposed to tariffs while leaving the larger disputes over technology, security and industrial policy unresolved. (usnews.com) ### How is this different from Trump’s earlier China trade posture? Reuters reported that the clearest change is what Washington is no longer demanding. Instead of pressing Beijing to overhaul its export-driven, state-directed model to resemble a more market-oriented U.S. system, the current talks are centered on narrower trade targets in less sensitive categories. (cnbc.com) The White House has framed the broader effort as “rebalancing” trade with China in earlier statements, including a May 2025 release on an initial U.S.-China trade deal and a November 2025 fact sheet on a later agreement reached in South Korea. Those statements described previous tariff reductions and reciprocal market-access steps, showing that the Beijing talks are part of a longer sequence of negotiated adjustments rather than a first opening. (usnews.com) ### What else is on the table besides tariffs? CNBC reported that the summit agenda extends beyond trade to Taiwan, Iran, artificial intelligence, export controls and Nvidia. A separate CNBC report on May 14 said investors were also watching for signs of any easing around advanced chip sales, including reported clearance for Nvidia H200 sales, though that report focused on market reaction rather than a formal summit outcome. (whitehouse.gov) China’s side has publicly confirmed the timing of the visit, but official Chinese and U.S. statements available so far have offered limited detail on any final trade package. That leaves much of the current reporting centered on what officials and analysts expect the two sides to discuss, rather than on signed text released by either government. (cnbc.com) ### What should readers watch for next? May 15 is the next concrete marker because Trump’s state visit is scheduled to end that day, according to China’s Foreign Ministry. Any joint statement, White House fact sheet or tariff schedule released after the meetings would show whether the proposed $30 billion basket became a formal agreement or remained a negotiating concept. (fmprc.gov.cn)