US-China trade truce remains ‘fragile’ after Xi-Trump summit, analysts say

The US-China trade truce extension remains tenuous following the recent summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, according to analysts from the Asia Society Policy Institute. Despite modest economic concessions and planned tariff reductions, deep divisions persist, and a sense of uncertainty lingers. Wendy Cutler, a former acting deputy US trade representative and Asia Society vice-president, described the truce as "very fragile" and emphasized that economic deliverables were "modest" and lacked urgency.

The two-month extension, from January 10, 2027, was announced following a brief meeting between Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The White House released lists of non-sensitive goods worth $30 billion each for tariff reductions, totaling $60 billion, but Cutler pointed out that this represented a small fraction of overall trade.

Kevin Rudd, Asia Society president, noted that China sought stability and minimal surprises ahead of its ruling Communist Party's 21st congress. The summit also saw the establishment of a government-to-government dialogue on artificial intelligence, though Beijing's willingness to cooperate remained unclear, with Trump expressing concerns about American companies' competitiveness in the field.

Both leaders agreed to meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen in November and the Group of 20 in Miami in December, marking four presidential face-to-face meetings in a single year.