US, China unveil ‘30-for-30’ trade framework: Which goods could get lower tariffs?

Washington and Beijing have officially announced a "30-for-30" trade framework and published a list of goods that the US and China could tax at lower rates. The list covers about $30bn worth of "non-sensitive" goods on each side. This comes following the trade deal struck at last week's summit between the US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping. The US have listed 77 categories of Chinese goods while China have listed 1,619 categories of American products. Neither nation has specified the exact new tariff percentages or an absolute activation date.

Under the new Board of Trade, the two countries will consider the products "with a view toward providing reduced tariff treatment to those goods in a reciprocal manner."

"The Trump Administration will continue to pursue fair, balanced, and reciprocal trade with China by ensuring compliance with commitments on agricultural and energy purchases, pursuing balanced trade in non-sensitive goods, and securing market access for American farmers, manufacturers, businesses, and workers," said US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in a statement.

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What items are in the lists?

China's list is dominated by food and farm goods, from beef, pork, poultry and seafood to cheese, grains, corn, wheat, butter, wine, and whiskey. The list also features around 150 varieties of wood and timber products. China will also import $10 million worth of US coal annually across both 2027 and 2028. China will also import high-value medical technology such as MRI scanners, pacemakers, surgical robots, and stents. However, US Soybeans, historically the largest American agricultural export to China, were excluded from the tariff cuts, it appears only as seeds for planting.

The US list is far shorter; it features Chinese consumer commodities like toys, children's car seats, and holiday or Christmas decorations, microwave ovens, toasters, coffee makers, bed linen, tennis balls and fishing hooks.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce officially confirmed the product lists on Monday, saying that the sides would discuss “a reciprocal tariff reduction framework of $30 billion for $30 billion, aiming to reach a consensus”.

“This arrangement will help stabilise China-US trade, create better conditions for Chinese exports of relevant products to the US, meet domestic market demand, and strengthen trade cooperation in agricultural products, energy, manufactured goods, and consumer goods,” the ministry said in a statement.