U.S. Trade Representative: Both U.S. and China Seek Stable Trade Relations

U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Greer said on Tuesday, March 31, that both the United States and China are seeking stability, envisioning a "positive agenda" for future trade relations with China. He also mentioned that a "U.S.-China Board of Trade" would be established to manage trade issues between the two countries.

Greer posted a video clip on the social media platform X on Tuesday afternoon, Washington time, from his interview on the "Bloomberg Surveillance" program. In it, he stated that the U.S. and China are striving for stable trade relations in order to build a more balanced economic relationship between the world's two largest economies.

"China wants stability, and we want stability too," Greer said. "I actually see a positive agenda ahead with China. We will learn how to manage our trade with each other—choosing what we want to sell to one another, mostly non-sensitive goods to avoid certain national security concerns that have proven challenging in negotiations."

The trade representative also noted that he expects trade relations with China to remain "stable" over the next year. He believes the two countries will establish a trade committee to manage their bilateral economic and trade relations.

"For about the past decade, the U.S. has been working to eliminate the trade deficit with China and address export control issues. If we can formalize this mechanism slightly, ensuring we can agree on what we sell to each other—such as Boeing aircraft, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural products from the U.S., and low-technology consumer goods and commodities from China—establishing such a mechanism would be a significant achievement."

He also addressed the critical issue of rare earth resources between the U.S. and China. "If needed, presidents will discuss this issue. But we hope and expect that, from now until then, we can manage many aspects of rare earth resources at the staff level."

Greer further pointed out that he does not anticipate meeting with his Chinese counterpart before the leaders’ summit.

"During our time in Paris, we reached a general consensus on the outcomes we hope to achieve from the leaders’ meeting. Our representatives and staff are maintaining regular communication to ensure these outcomes are realized."

Greer and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with Chinese negotiators in Paris, the capital of France, on March 15 and 16.

On February 20, the Supreme Court rejected tariffs imposed by President Trump under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, including those on imports from China. Last year, Trump declared a national emergency due to fentanyl smuggling and the U.S. trade deficit, imposing tariffs on goods from China and dozens of other countries.

Following the Supreme Court ruling, Trump invoked Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act to impose a 10% tariff on imported goods worldwide, later increasing it to 15%. However, this period cannot exceed 150 days. After the 150-day deadline on July 24, any extension of the tariff would require congressional approval.

In parallel, earlier this month, Greer initiated investigations under Section 301 of the Trade Act against numerous foreign partners—including China, the European Union, Japan, Mexico, and India—regarding their tax policies and practices. This provision allows the president to impose tariffs on other countries' "unreasonable," "unfair," or "discriminatory" trade actions. In response, China’s Ministry of Commerce launched two investigations into U.S. trade conduct last week.

Regarding this, Greer responded that China’s investigations were symbolic. He added, "Despite that, consistent with the U.S.-China agreement reached last year in Busan, South Korea, the American goal remains economic stability and trade balance with China."

In October 2025, the two leaders met in Busan, South Korea. During the talks, China agreed to temporarily suspend its rare earth export controls and assist in preventing fentanyl from entering the United States. In exchange, the U.S. would reduce the "fentanyl tariffs" on China by 10 percentage points—from an original 20% down to 10%.

Source: voa

Original: toutiao.com/article/1861256802275392/

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