The Chinese government on Wednesday sought to draw a line on trade tensions with the United States, saying that both sides had agreed not to raise tariffs further while signaling that it could retaliate if Washington did so again.
China also confirmed for the first time that it would buy American beef and Boeing airplanes, two deals that President Trump touted after his summit with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, last week.
In a statement on Wednesday, China’s Ministry of Commerce said that Beijing had agreed to buy 200 Boeing planes, a transaction that would mark the largest single Chinese purchase of the American manufacturer’s aircraft in nearly a decade. The ministry also confirmed that Beijing had approved American slaughterhouses to resume exporting beef to China, giving a green light to more than 600 U.S. companies after an initially muddled notice last week.
The announcements came in a online posting by the Ministry of Commerce five days after the two leaders’ meeting in Beijing. Mr. Trump and other American officials have since hailed the summit’s success and the commercial commitments secured from Beijing.
But critical points of friction remained unresolved, particularly over tariffs. Mr. Trump, for his part, told reporters afterward: “We didn’t discuss tariffs.”
On Wednesday, China’s commerce ministry pushed back on that account, saying the U.S. and China had “engaged in in-depth discussions on tariffs” during the latest negotiations. The ministry added that it hoped Washington would “honor its commitments” and ensure that U.S. tariff levels on Chinese goods would “not exceed the level stipulated” during talks last fall in South Korea, when the two sides had agreed to a tariff truce.
It was the second time a Chinese official said tariffs were discussed during last week’s talks, a sign that Beijing may be laying the groundwork for retaliation in the future, said Dan Wang, China director at Eurasia Group.
“It reflects a base line for China that tariffs cannot go up,” Ms. Wang said. “Trump tried to downplay it. China will likely retaliate if tariffs do go up.”
Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi agreed to a yearlong truce in October that left tariffs on Chinese goods at 30 percent. But in February, those tariffs, along with Mr. Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs on other countries, were struck down after the Supreme Court ruled them illegal. The White House responded by imposing a 10 percent tariff on all imports under a temporary trade clause known as Section 122.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has since said the administration plans to revive the tariffs through investigations into forced labor and industrial overcapacity under Section 301, another trade provision. Experts have argued that the investigations are directed at China.
Mr. Trump, meanwhile, has preferred to emphasize the handful of trade wins.
Boeing, in particular, has long sought to regain its footing in the Chinese market, and Kelly Ortberg, the company’s chief executive, was among the American business leaders who accompanied Mr. Trump to Beijing. Nearly one in seven commercial planes in operation today flies in China.
But Boeing’s relationship with Beijing deteriorated after the worldwide grounding of the 737 MAX aircraft following two crashes less than five months apart that killed a total of 346 people. In 2020, citing the coronavirus pandemic, China canceled an outstanding order for 29 of the jets.
Boeing resumed deliveries to China in 2024, but those shipments stalled last year as Mr. Trump raised tariffs on Chinese goods.
It remains unclear which aircraft models Beijing has agreed to purchase.
Mr. Trump and Boeing have said that Beijing would reopen its market to the American aerospace company. But Chinese officials initially avoided comment.
That changed on Wednesday. “Aviation is a key area for deepening mutually beneficial cooperation between China and the United States,” the commerce ministry said in its statement.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, Mr. Trump said that China had agreed to purchase “approximately 400, 450 engines, 200 planes and a promise of up to 750 if they do a good job.”
It also remains unclear how much American beef China will ultimately buy after reinstating the registration of U.S. beef suppliers.
In the end, Beijing granted licenses to 690 American companies, after a confusing turn of events that briefly seemed as though official had reversed course and approved about 200.
Still, the restoration of the U.S. beef trade may prove more symbolic than substantial. Beijing has been trying to shield domestic cattle farmers from a flood of imported meat.
Murphy Zhao contributed reporting, Ruoxin Zhang and Li You contributed research.
Alexandra Stevenson is the Shanghai bureau chief for The Times, reporting on China’s economy and society.
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