The White House announced on May 11, 2025, that the United States and China had reached a trade deal after talks in Geneva, but it did not give the terms that day. A joint statement on May 12 spelled out the initial measures: each side would suspend 24 percentage points of specified additional tariffs for 90 days, leaving an additional 10% rate under those measures, while talks continued.
What the White House announced on May 11
After U.S. and Chinese economic officials met in Geneva, the White House said on May 11 that the two countries had reached a deal. The announcement was preliminary: it did not specify the tariff changes or other commitments. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, “We will be giving details tomorrow, but I can tell you that the talks were productive.” The White House announcement also quoted U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer describing the two days as constructive and saying the agreement could help resolve what he called a national emergency.
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What the May 12 joint statement specified
The next day’s U.S.–China joint statement turned the announcement into a set of temporary actions and a plan for further discussions.
| Area | U.S. commitment | China commitment |
|---|---|---|
| Specified additional tariffs | Suspend 24 percentage points of the specified additional tariff rates for an initial 90 days, leaving an additional 10% rate under those measures. | Suspend 24 percentage points of the specified additional tariff rates for an initial 90 days, leaving an additional 10% rate under those measures. |
| Non-tariff countermeasures | No corresponding U.S. action is specified in the joint statement’s description of this commitment. | Suspend or remove non-tariff countermeasures taken against the United States since April 2, 2025. |
| Further discussions | Establish a mechanism with China for continuing discussions on economic and trade relations. | Establish a mechanism with the United States for continuing discussions on economic and trade relations. |
The 24-percentage-point suspension and remaining additional 10% rate refer to the specified additional measures in the joint statement. They are not the total tariff rate on all goods traded between the countries.
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Why the two dates matter
The May 11 White House announcement said a deal had been reached and promised details the next morning. The May 12 joint statement supplied those details, including the initial 90-day tariff pause and the framework for continued talks. Treating the two announcements as one event can make the initial announcement sound more specific than it was.
Contemporaneous reporting described steep tariff levels before the Geneva meetings, but those figures were not the deal’s final terms. Forbes reported on May 11, 2025, that President Donald Trump had suggested an 80% tariff level and that rates at the time stood at 125% on U.S. imports into China and 145% on Chinese imports into the United States. Those were pre-meeting context figures, not the additional rates left in place by the May 12 statement. Forbes’ May 11 report provides that contemporaneous account.
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Trade context in 2024
Forbes, citing U.S. Census Bureau data, reported that U.S. imports from China totaled $143.5 billion in 2024 and that the U.S. trade deficit with China was $295 billion that year. These figures describe the trade relationship before the May 2025 Geneva agreement; they do not measure the deal’s effects.
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The May 12, 2025, joint statement describes an initial 90-day period and a mechanism for continued discussions. The cited documents establish what the two governments announced at that time, not the present status of the arrangement or current tariff policy. This account is therefore limited to the 2025 announcement and its stated terms.
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