U.S. and China Extend Trade Truce Until January 10

The United States has formally extended a pause on certain trade actions aimed at China, and China has extended a matching pause on part of its additional tariffs on U.S. goods, according to official notices published this week.

In a Federal Register notice dated November 10, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said it is further suspending, until January 10, 2027, the responsive actions taken in its Section 301 investigation of China’s targeting of the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding sectors. USTR said the change is meant to allow further discussion with China on the practices at issue in that investigation. Effective November 9, 2026, the notice amends the relevant Harmonized Tariff Schedule headings by replacing the date “November 10, 2026” with “January 10, 2027.”

During the suspension, USTR said, no party will accrue liability for or be required to pay the fees on maritime transport services described in earlier notices in this investigation, or the duties on ship-to-shore cranes and other cargo handling equipment of China that were added in a later annex.

A second Federal Register notice, also published November 10, announces that the Trade Representative has determined to further extend all 178 current product exclusions from the separate Section 301 action covering China’s technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation practices. The notice says those exclusions run through 11:59 p.m. eastern time on January 9, 2027, for goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern time on November 10, 2026.

An English-language report on the Chinese government’s website, dated November 9 and attributed to Xinhua, said China’s Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council will continue to suspend the 24 percent additional tariff rate on imports originating in the United States for two months, while keeping a 10 percent additional tariff rate in place. The commission said the adjustment, effective from 1:01 p.m. on November 10, implements outcomes and consensus from a meeting of the two countries’ leaders in Washington. The same report said China will continue to follow subsequent U.S. moves and may adjust its tariff countermeasures in light of the situation.

The U.S. pause is short and is not a close of the investigations. USTR said it will keep monitoring the issues in the maritime investigation and will consider whether to continue the suspension or take further action before the January deadline. In the exclusions notice, the Trade Representative said further extensions or additional modifications may still be considered.

USTR also summarized the public comments it received after proposing the further maritime suspension in October. The agency said it received about 60 unique comments. Some supported a further pause, citing a wish to avoid higher shipping costs and commercial disruption and to leave time for talks. Others opposed it, arguing that the fees and duties are needed to encourage investment in U.S. shipbuilding and related industries. After considering those comments, the Trade Representative determined that a two-month further suspension was appropriate.

What it means for manufacturers

For a U.S. manufacturer that imports from China, or that exports goods to China, the filings remove an immediate mid-November change for the listed maritime fees, crane and cargo-handling duties, and the 178 product exclusions. They do not settle the underlying investigations, and they do not make today’s rates permanent. The next date to watch is early January.

Importers that rely on an exclusion should confirm that their parts still match the official Harmonized Tariff Schedule descriptions and should plan landed-cost scenarios for both another extension and a lapse. Exporters to China should treat the 24 percent suspension as time-limited, because a 10 percent additional tariff remains in place under China’s announcement.

A practical next step is to list imported Chinese parts by tariff code and annual spend, mark which items appear to fall under a current exclusion, and model duty and freight cost if the January deadline is not moved again. Our guides on how to calculate landed cost and reducing tariff costs in manufacturing walk through the inputs. For concentration risk, see supplier diversification strategy and our earlier note on tariff changes for manufacturers.

Sources

• Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, “Notice of Modification of Section 301 Action: China’s Targeting of the Maritime, Logistics, and Shipbuilding Sectors for Dominance,” Federal Register (published Nov. 10, 2026; document 2026-22867)
• Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, “Notice of Product Exclusion Extensions: China’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation,” Federal Register (Nov. 10, 2026; document 2026-22925)
• The State Council of the People’s Republic of China / Xinhua, “China extends suspension of 24 pct additional tariff on U.S. goods for two months” (Nov. 9, 2026)

Additional sources

• USTR PDF of the maritime, logistics, and shipbuilding suspension notice, including the list of prior Federal Register notices in this investigation, the HTSUS headings amended (9903.91.12 through 9903.91.16), and the summary of public comments.
• The exclusions notice identifies the 178 current exclusions as the 164 exclusions previously extended in 2024 plus 14 exclusions covering certain solar manufacturing equipment, and it points U.S. Customs and Border Protection questions to traderemedy@cbp.dhs.gov.