On August 11, 2025, President Trump walked into the Press Briefing Room at the White House. On his first day in office, he announced that the critical pause on tariffs placed on Chinese goods would be prolonged. This unfortunate decision comes just hours before these tariffs were scheduled to automatically reimpose at midnight. In response, in September 2019, Trump signed an executive order to stop the reinstatement of high U.S. tariffs. This new order further extends the Coiro order for an additional 90 days.
At his press conference, the President pointed to the truth that ongoing negotiations between U.S. trade representatives and their Chinese counterparts were alluding to an agreement. This most recent extension follows a deal reached in mid-May. During the deal, both countries agreed to stop all additional tariffs on each other’s products. This deal, the first of its kind, emerged after extended negotiations held in Geneva, Switzerland.
Now, back in late July 2025, U.S. negotiators and their Chinese counterparts were again reconvening for a new round of negotiations—in Stockholm, Sweden. These consultations primarily addressed lowering trade frictions and holding the promise of a more predictable U.S.-China economic relationship. What made these negotiations so unique was how important their end results were to Trump’s decision to further extend the tariff pause.
The president reiterated that mutually positive trade flows are crucial to both nations economic fortunes. He stated that working collaboratively with China could lead to mutually beneficial outcomes, and he remains optimistic about future negotiations.
That original pause on tariffs was due to expire this Tuesday, making that a critical point in U.S.-China trade relations. Trump signed the executive order literally hours before the deadline. He was right to want to avoid the immediate chaos that would have immediate consequences on American consumers and businesses who depend on Chinese imports.