Has Trump struck a trade deal with China – and what about other countries?

The United States has reached an agreement with China connected accelerating shipments of uncommon world minerals to the US, amid efforts to extremity a commercialized warfare betwixt the world’s 2 biggest economies.

US President Donald Trump said connected Thursday that the US had signed a woody with China the erstwhile day, without providing much details, adding that helium expects to soon person a commercialized woody with India arsenic well.

Thursday’s announcement follows talks successful Geneva successful May, which led the US and China to trim communal tariffs.

In June, talks successful London acceptable a model for negotiations. Thursday’s announcement appeared to formalise that agreement.

“The [Trump] medication and China agreed to an further knowing for a model to instrumentality the Geneva agreement,” a White House authoritative said connected Thursday.

China besides confirmed the model for a deal, with its Ministry of Commerce stating that it volition reappraisal and o.k. applications for items taxable to export power rules.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng airs for a photograph with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, and China’s International Trade Representative and Vice Minister of Commerce Li Chenggang, successful London, connected June 9, 2025 [United States Treasury/Handout via Reuters]

What bash we cognize astir the US-China deal?

During US-China commercialized talks successful Geneva, Beijing committed to removing non-tariff countermeasures imposed against the US pursuing Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” announcement connected April 2.

That was erstwhile Washington announced alleged “reciprocal” import duties but aboriginal paused astir of them, with the objection of its 145 percent tariff connected China, for 90 days to let for negotiations. This intermission is owed to travel to an extremity connected July 9.

In retaliation, China imposed its ain tariff of 125 percent connected US goods, suspended exports connected a wide scope of captious minerals, upending proviso chains important to US carmakers, semiconductor companies and subject contractors.

But connected Thursday, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Bloomberg TV that “they’re [China] going to present uncommon earths to us”, and erstwhile they bash that “we’ll instrumentality down our countermeasures”. Those US countermeasures see export curbs connected materials specified arsenic ethane, which is utilized to marque plastic, and spot software.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Commerce Ministry said connected Friday: “In caller days, aft approval, some sides person further confirmed details connected the framework.”

The spokesperson added: “The Chinese broadside volition reappraisal and o.k. eligible applications for export of controlled items successful accordance with the law. The US broadside volition correspondingly cancel a bid of restrictive measures taken against China.”

In aboriginal June, China granted impermanent export licences to uncommon world suppliers of the apical 3 US automakers, according to 2 sources acquainted with the matter, arsenic proviso concatenation disruptions began to aboveground from export curbs connected those materials.

This week’s deal, which Lutnick said was signed connected Wednesday, would magnitude to a wider statement by codifying the presumption laid retired successful Geneva, including a committedness from China to present uncommon earths to each US firms.

Why are Chinese uncommon world minerals truthful vital?

China’s export of uncommon world elements is central to ongoing commercialized negotiations with the US. Beijing has a virtual monopoly of captious minerals, mining 70 percent of the world’s uncommon earths and processing astir 90 percent of their supply.

Critical minerals, a radical of 17 elements which are indispensable to galore manufacturing processes, person go peculiarly important for the car industry, which relies connected uncommon world magnets for steering systems, engines and catalytic converters.

Car manufacturers person already complained astir factories being brought to a adjacent halt due to the fact that of proviso concatenation shortages of uncommon earths and the magnets they are utilized to make. A Ford enforcement said earlier this week that the institution was surviving “hand to mouth”.

Rare earths are besides captious for the modulation to cleanable vigor and are utilized successful an array of products, including upwind turbines, smartphones and televisions. They are besides utilized to marque combatant jets, rocket systems and AI processors.

What different commercialized deals does Trump assertion to beryllium adjacent to agreeing?

Lutnick told Bloomberg that Trump is besides preparing to finalise a suite of commercialized deals successful the coming weeks, up of his July 9 deadline for reinstating higher commercialized tariffs, which helium paused connected April 9.

“We’re going to bash apical 10 deals, enactment them successful the close category, and past these different countries volition acceptable behind,” helium said.

Lutnick didn’t specify which nations would beryllium portion of that archetypal question of commercialized pacts. Earlier connected Thursday, however, Trump suggested the US was nearing an statement with India.

Indian commercialized officials, led by main negotiator Rajesh Agarwal, are expected to clasp meetings successful Washington for 2 days this week, Bloomberg News has reported.

In caller months, US officials person besides held talks with countries, including Vietnam, South Korea, Japan and the EU.

So far, lone the United Kingdom has reached a commercialized statement with the US, portion China secured little reciprocal tariffs successful Geneva.

Still, the pact with the UK near respective questions unaddressed, including the discount rates applied to definite British metallic exports.

Which deals is the US inactive struggling to strike?

The bulk of America’s large commercialized partners – from Canada to Vietnam and South Korea – are each expected to person fraught discussions with Washington earlier reciprocal tariffs expire successful aboriginal July.

Most countries are hoping to person tariffs whittled down by arsenic overmuch arsenic possible, and, failing that, to widen the July deadline, but determination is nary certainty yet for immoderate of them.

Talks which person been peculiarly tricky include:

European Union

A large question people remains implicit an statement with the European Union, which ran a $235.6bn commercialized surplus with the US successful 2024.

The hurdle facing EU leaders and the European Commission, which oversees commercialized issues for the 27-member bloc, is whether to judge an “asymmetrical” commercialized woody with the US, nether which presumption could beryllium much favourable to the US successful bid to get a woody done faster.

Some subordinate states are thought to beryllium opposed to tit-for-tat retaliation, preferring a speedy tariff woody implicit a cleanable one.

But others disagree. France has rejected the conception of immoderate woody skewed successful favour of the US and is alternatively pushing for a implicit removal of tariffs.

Japan

Japan is keen connected settling each imaginable US tariffs successful 1 fell swoop. But a sticking constituent successful negotiations has been the 25 percent tariffs connected cars and car parts imposed by Trump.

Washington is focused connected autos due to the fact that that assemblage is liable for astir of its commercialized shortage with Japan.

But Tokyo views its automotive manufacture arsenic a cardinal pillar successful its system arsenic it generates astir 10 percent of gross home merchandise (GDP).

On Thursday, Japan’s main commercialized negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, reiterated Tokyo’s position, telling reporters: “We see the 25 percent automobile tariff to beryllium unacceptable.”

Could the US widen its tariffs deadline past July?

President Trump could determine to widen the deadline for reimposing tariffs connected astir of the world’s countries, the White House said connected Thursday.

Trump’s July deadline for restarting tariffs is “not critical”, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

“Perhaps it could beryllium extended, but that’s a determination for the president to make,” Leavitt said.

She besides said that if immoderate of those countries garbage to marque a commercialized woody with the US by the deadlines, “the president tin simply supply these countries with a deal”.

“And that means the president tin prime a reciprocal tariff complaint that helium believes is advantageous for the United States, and for the American worker,” she added.

Meanwhile, White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told Fox Business connected Tuesday: “We cognize that we’re very, precise adjacent to a fewer countries.”