Chinese negotiators sought a trade truce lasting until the end of Trump’s term but secured only a two-month extension expiring on 10 January, 52 days after the Trump-Xi APEC meeting in Shenzhen, a short leash Washington views as useful for extracting concessions ahead of elections.

Beijing’s suspended rare-earth controls and multi-year purchase pledges (25 million tonnes of soybeans annually through 2028, $17 billion in other farm goods, 200 Boeing jets) remain tied to the brief truce, while Washington’s tariff threats and investment stances remain inconsistent.

The article argues for aligning the truce with the 2028 purchase horizon, fixing rare-earth suspensions and tariff rates for the full term with quarterly reviews, so Shenzhen anchors the relationship rather than perpetuating short-term leverage.

Chinese negotiators arrived in Washington in September asking for a trade truce that would last until Donald Trump leaves office. They got two months.

The ceasefire that has kept tariffs down and rare earths moving between the world’s two largest economies now expires on January 10, 52 days after Trump and Xi Jinping meet at the APEC summit in Shenzhen. Beijing had pushed for a term running to the end of Trump’s presidency; Washington insisted on something shorter. At the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the two-month extension was read as the administration keeping the heat on.

The case for a short leash is easy to make in Washington. Renew in small increments and every renewal becomes a fresh........

© Eurasia Review