On September 27, 2026, following President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington, the White House released the working procedures and terms of reference for the U.S.-China Board of Trade, together with the Board’s “30-FOR-30” lists of products recommended for reduced tariff treatment. The same day, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) issued a statement by Ambassador Jamieson Greer describing the recommendations as covering $30 billion of trade in non-sensitive goods on each side.
The lists are recommendations, not tariff changes. According to the White House release, the two countries “will consider” the lists “with a view toward providing reduced tariff treatment to those goods in a reciprocal manner, consistent with their respective domestic laws and processes.” Neither the release nor the USTR statement specifies the reduced rates, the tariffs to be reduced, an implementation mechanism, or a timeline.
Background
According to USTR, Presidents Trump and Xi established the Board of Trade during President Trump’s May 2026 visit to Beijing “to manage trade in non-sensitive products.” The September announcement is the Board’s first set of product-level recommendations.
Products recommended
The White House fact sheet on the state visit identifies the following examples:
- Chinese products for import into the United States. Consumer products such as small appliances, toys, holiday decorations, and children’s car seats. USTR adds that the list focuses on household goods, toys, and other products “that the United States generally does not import from other countries.”
- U.S. products for import into China. Agricultural goods, fish and seafood, logs and wood products, cosmetics, and medical devices. USTR states that the recommendations would improve market access for about 30 percent of U.S. exports to China.
The full product lists are posted with the White House release. The fact sheet also notes that the Board launched a working group on agricultural market access barriers and that China committed to import at least 10 million metric tons of U.S. coal in each of 2027 and 2028.
What remains open
- Which duties. The documents do not say whether reduced treatment would apply to Section 301 duties or other additional duties. Any change to Section 301 duties would presumably require USTR action, which typically proceeds by Federal Register notice; none has been published.
- Timing. No effective date or implementation schedule has been announced.
- Broader tariff truce. Treasury Secretary Bessent has stated publicly that the two sides agreed to extend the current tariff truce from November 10, 2026 to January 10, 2027. As of this alert, we have not identified a published presidential action or Federal Register notice implementing that extension.
Immediate Considerations
Importers of Chinese consumer goods should review the U.S. list to determine whether their products are included, and should treat any reduction as prospective and uncertain until an implementing action is published. U.S. exporters in the listed sectors may wish to track China’s implementation. Companies should also monitor for formal action on the truce before November 10, because the current suspension date governs until it is extended.
Please contact us should you wish to discuss whether your products appear on the lists or how any implementing action may affect your duty exposure.