Donald Trump said on Friday that tariffs were not discussed during his landmark summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, despite expectations that both leaders would address the future of their tariff truce.
Speaking after returning to Washington from Beijing, Trump said he had secured what he described as “fantastic trade deals” with China.
“We didn’t discuss those… It wasn’t brought up,” Trump said when asked whether tariffs featured in the talks.
The meeting had been widely expected to focus on extending the one-year tariff truce agreed during the leaders’ previous meeting in South Korea in October.
The agreement temporarily eased a prolonged trade dispute between the two countries, during which tariffs on several goods exceeded 100 percent.
Under the truce, the United States retained some tariffs linked to allegations over China’s role in global fentanyl supply chains and accusations of unfair trade practices.
However, the Supreme Court of the United States in February struck down several of Trump’s tariffs, including duties connected to drug trafficking concerns.
Following the ruling, the White House introduced a temporary 10-percent global tariff and launched investigations that could result in more permanent trade duties.
Trump arrived in Beijing earlier this week seeking agreements in key sectors including agriculture, aviation and artificial intelligence.
After the opening day of talks, Trump claimed Xi had agreed to assist in reopening the Strait of Hormuz and increase Chinese purchases of Boeing aircraft, American oil and soybeans.
However, no formal agreements have been announced, while China’s foreign ministry declined to confirm or deny Trump’s claims when questioned on Friday.
