The United States and China agreed on Wednesday to extend their bilateral trade truce to 10 January 2027, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced, as President Donald Trump received his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the White House in Washington.
"We have agreed to extend the economic détente between our two countries, which was due to expire on 10 November, to give ourselves more time to see what we can do on the economic front," Bessent told Fox News.
Bessent met in Washington on Wednesday with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. "We held substantive discussions on the economic relationship between the US and China," he wrote on X, ahead of the summit between the two heads of state.
"Our talks remained focused on securing meaningful commitments that protect American workers, farmers, and businesses, while advancing the country's economic and national security interests," Bessent added.
Xi Jinping arrived in Washington on Wednesday for his first visit to the United States in more than a decade. In a rare gesture for an American president, Trump travelled to the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base on the outskirts of Washington to greet his counterpart, rather than awaiting his arrival at the White House, on the first state visit to the capital.
Determined to honour the Chinese leader, President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump participated in the arrival ceremony for Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at the start of a three-day visit set to be steeped in pomp, even by White House standards.
The display of ceremony comes at a moment of heightened tension between the two geopolitical rivals, driven by issues including trade, artificial intelligence, Trump's confrontation with Iran, and China's ambitions over Taiwan.
Beyond seeking to maintain "strategic stability" between the two nations, Trump has lavished praise on Xi, calling him a "great leader" and describing a warm relationship with the man he calls a friend, while avoiding direct confrontation with the Chinese president on sensitive issues despite pressure from within his own party.
Republican Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticised the "splendid reception" afforded to Xi, questioning "the objectives of China's massive military expansion and China's clear support for Iran".
"Our talks remained focused on securing meaningful commitments that protect American workers, farmers, and businesses, while advancing the country's economic and national security interests." — Scott Bessent
Trump should not have invited the Chinese leader, "given all the concerning issues we have regarding President Xi and the Chinese Communist Party," Wicker argued in a Senate address on Tuesday.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio contended that Washington and Beijing need to engage at the highest levels, as they are "the two largest economies in the world and probably the two greatest military powers on the planet".
On Friday, Xi and Peng will return to the White House for "tea" with the Trump couple before accompanying them on a visit to the National Archives in Washington. The White House said the parties will "examine" historical documents that underscore the relationship between the two countries.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/09/24/mundo/eua-e-china-anunciam-tregua-comercial-ate-10-de-janeiro/
