China and the United States held the first meeting of their trade council on Friday, November 13, discussing possible tariff cuts, agricultural trade and other issues ahead of a planned meeting between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping next week.

The meeting took place by videoconference. China’s Commerce Ministry said the sides discussed how to carry out the results of earlier trade talks, including a reciprocal tariff-cut arrangement covering $30 billion in goods on each side. That figure refers to the value of goods involved, not the amount of tariffs that would be removed.

The ministry described the talks as candid, in-depth and constructive, but did not announce whether the meeting produced any agreements. It said both sides would continue using the council to address trade concerns, expand cooperation and reduce outstanding issues. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative also confirmed the meeting; Washington said it intended to continue talks towards balanced trade.

Tariff-cut proposals remain unresolved

The $30 billion-per-side arrangement discussed at the council was not detailed further in the ministry’s account. Separately, after a September summit between Xi and Trump in Washington, the two governments proposed a $60 billion package of reciprocal tariff cuts. That proposal included roughly $17 billion worth of US farm goods imported by China in 2024, but has not been finalised. The available accounts do not establish whether the $30 billion-per-side arrangement and the $60 billion package have identical terms.

Beijing has repeatedly urged Washington to implement the $60 billion deal, describing it as a prerequisite for increased Chinese purchases of US farm goods. Yet a Reuters analysis of customs data found that China’s purchases of US farm goods other than soybeans were on track to hit a seven-year low in 2026, despite an agreement to buy $17 billion annually through 2028.

Leaders due to meet in Shenzhen

The council is part of a trade mechanism first agreed by Trump and Xi at a meeting in Beijing in May and further specified at a meeting in Washington in September. The White House said Trump would meet Xi on Thursday, November 19, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Shenzhen.

The trade council’s first session has opened a channel for further discussions, but the ministry has not specified which tariffs could change or when any cuts might take effect. The leaders’ planned meeting comes next in the calendar; whether it will produce decisions on the proposals remains unclear.