Trump says tariffs talks with China ‘moving along well’

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that talks with China on a tariff deal were “moving along well” and that both countries would reach a “fair” deal on trade, without offering additional details of the long-awaited agreement.

“We’re moving along with China. We’re doing fine with China,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “I think it’s going to work out very well. We’re right in step … I think we’re going to have a very fair deal with China,” he added.

Trump’s latest comment came a day after delegations from both countries finished a third round of high-level talks in Sweden, ahead of an August 12 expiration of a pause on additional tariffs that the world’s two largest economies slapped on each others’ goods.

Beijing and Washington had been expected to extend their tariff truce another three months, sources on both sides told the South China Morning Post before discussions began on Monday.

The Chinese embassy in Washington has not responded to a request for comment. This month it noted that China’s exports to the US declined by 24 per cent year on year in the second quarter of 2025, with the situation “equivalent to the first quarter of 2020 when the economy activity was stagnant” during the pandemic.

02:07

China, US finish Stockholm trade talks with divergence on timing of tariff pause extension

At separate press briefings on Tuesday in Stockholm, US and Chinese negotiators, while calling their discussions “constructive”, diverged on the timing of the fresh tariff pause.

South China Morning Post