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What did the 90-day tariff pause change?
In a joint statement issued May 12, 2025, the United States and China agreed to temporarily reduce parts of the additional tariffs they had recently imposed on one another. The US agreed to suspend 24 percentage points of the additional rate established under its April 2 reciprocal-tariff order for an initial 90 days, while retaining an additional 10%. It also removed modified additional rates imposed under its April 8 and April 9 orders. China described a corresponding suspension of 24 percentage points of its specified additional rate, retaining 10%, and suspension or removal of certain non-tariff countermeasures. The Geneva joint statement sets out the two governments’ actions separately; it does not say that their overall tariff schedules became identical.
| Measure | United States | China |
|---|---|---|
| Specified additional tariff layer | Suspended 24 percentage points of the rate established under the April 2 reciprocal-tariff order for an initial 90 days; retained an additional 10% rate, according to the May 12, 2025 joint statement. | Suspended 24 percentage points of its specified additional rate for the initial period and retained 10%, according to the May 12, 2025 joint statement. |
| Other actions | Removed modified additional rates imposed under the April 8 and April 9 orders. | Suspended or removed certain non-tariff countermeasures, as described in the joint statement. |
| Other existing duties | The White House’s May 12 fact sheet said prior Section 301, Section 232, fentanyl-related and most-favored-nation duties remained in place. | The joint statement describes the specified additional rate and certain countermeasures; it does not establish that China’s wider tariff schedule matched the US schedule. |
The White House’s May 12 fact sheet summarized the parties as lowering tariffs by 115 percentage points while retaining an additional 10% tariff. That is the administration’s summary of the agreement, not a statement that every duty on every product fell by 115 percentage points. For the operative terms, the joint statement is the more precise reference. The White House also said the US goods trade deficit with China was $295.4 billion in 2024; that figure is the administration’s reported statistic, not an independently verified figure here. The fact sheet called the outcome a “historic trade win.” That phrase is political framing: the bilateral statement describes reciprocal steps and further discussions, rather than declaring a unilateral US victory.
Did the US and China pause all tariffs?
No. The agreement applied to specified additional tariff layers that had been escalated in April 2025; it was not a general removal of duties on trade between the two countries. The retained additional 10% rate was only one part of the picture. The White House said other US measures—including prior Section 301, Section 232, fentanyl-related and most-favored-nation duties—remained. The exact duty on an individual import depends on the product and the applicable measures; the May announcement alone is not enough to determine a current product-specific rate.
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How long did the tariff truce last, and was it extended?
The Geneva statement set an initial 90-day period. On August 11, 2025, the two governments announced another 90-day suspension beginning August 12. The Stockholm statement retained the 10% additional rate on the specified goods and continued the agreed approach to non-tariff countermeasures. The Stockholm joint statement records the extension by both governments.
The White House said the US suspension would continue until November 10, 2025, and that the 10% reciprocal tariff and other US tariff measures remained in place during the extension. Its August fact sheet gives that US endpoint. The extension prolonged the temporary arrangement; it did not turn it into a permanent tariff settlement.
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What happened after the 90-day pause?
The original pause should be treated as historical. A November 4, 2025 executive order refers to subsequent US-China discussions and to the May and August orders suspending heightened duties in favor of an additional 10% rate. The existence of that later order shows that policy moved beyond the original pause, but its precise rates and product scope should not be inferred from the May announcement. Read Executive Order 14358 for the later action. USTR’s presidential tariff actions index is useful for tracing measures, but an index is not a substitute for the underlying order or tariff schedule when checking a particular product.
Developments reported in 2026
On May 17, 2026, the White House reported an initial purchase of 200 American-made Boeing aircraft and a Chinese commitment to buy at least $17 billion per year in US agricultural products in 2026 (prorated), 2027 and 2028. Those are reported commitments, not evidence that the purchases have been completed. The May fact sheet describes them.
In a September 25, 2026 fact sheet, the White House said the bilateral Board of Trade had reached consensus on recommendations for more favorable tariff treatment for $30 billion of non-sensitive goods in each direction. That is an administration-reported recommendation, not evidence that all the recommended changes have been implemented. The September fact sheet reports the recommendation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does the pause mean for household budgets?
A tariff is a charge on covered imports, but the May agreement does not establish how much any particular retailer or household saved. The effect on a shopper depends on whether a product was covered, what other duties applied, and how businesses handled the cost. The announcement therefore cannot be used on its own to predict a price change or calculate the tariff on a specific purchase. For a current import-duty question, check the product’s classification and the current implementing tariff measures rather than relying on the headline’s “90-day pause.”
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