摘要：The 90-day extension of the China-U.S. trade truce is more than a pause in an often turbulent economic relationship – it is a deli

ByXu Ying

The 90-day extension of the China-U.S. trade truce is more than a pause in an often turbulent economic relationship – it is a deliberate act of stabilization in an unsettled world. At a time when geopolitical tensions, supply chain vulnerabilities and policy unpredictability dominate boardroom conversations from New York to Singapore, this extension signals that both Beijing and Washington still recognize the value of dialogue over escalation.

From the Chinese perspective, the extension is consistent with a long-standing strategic posture: manage differences through negotiation, uphold the rules-based multilateral trading system and seek solutions that are balanced, sustainable and mutually beneficial.

While the U.S.will maintain its 30 percent tariff on Chinese imports, and China its 10 percent duty on American goods, both sides have agreed to suspend further tariff increases and remove certain non-tariff countermeasures. This creates a rare and valuable window for constructive engagement on long-running disputes over market access, intellectual property and industrial policy.

For global business leaders, the immediate benefit is predictability. The truce secures a smoother flow of goods during the high-demand autumn period, particularly for electronics, apparel and consumer products destined for the Christmas season. Importantly, it buys time for companies to recalibrate procurement schedules, hedge currency exposures and adjust inventories without the immediate threat of another tariff shock. This kind of operational certainty is not a luxury;it is a prerequisite for maintaining competitiveness in a low-growth, high-risk global economy.

The business implications go beyond seasonal logistics. The last five months have seen a narrowing of the U.S. trade deficit with China, underscoring that measured, rules-based engagement can address imbalances more effectively than blunt protectionist tools.

Steps such as China's easing of restrictions on rare earth exports and Washington's reversal of its ban on certain high-performance chips point toward the possibility of targeted, sector-specific understandings. Such moves should be read not as concessions, but as confidence-building measures that serve both national interests and the broader global economy.

Still, the stakes remain high. For U.S. President Donald Trump, securing a trade agreement with China is not just economic policy;it is political capital, particularly with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea on the horizon. For China, the imperative is to safeguard its legitimate development rights, defend the integrity of its industrial policy and continue deepening reform and opening-up in ways that strengthen resilience at home while offering expanded opportunities to international partners.

In this context, business leaders should be wary of viewing the truce as a mere tactical pause. The Geneva trade deal reached earlier this year already demonstrated that both sides can craft agreements that combine tariff adjustments with the removal of non-tariff barriers. The next 90 days are an opportunity to consolidate those gains and address second-order disputes,such as export controls, technology licensing and agricultural trade,in ways that reinforce the credibility of negotiated settlements.

A cargo ship docking at a container terminal of Tianjin Port in north China's Tianjin, April 8, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

Of course, challenges persist. U.S. demands for increased soybean purchases, ongoing friction over advanced semiconductor access and the shadow of past restrictions on Chinese students remind us that trade disputes rarely exist in isolation from broader political narratives. Yet,China's approach has been – and must remain – anchored in principle: engage where there is room for cooperation, push back firmly but proportionately against unilateralism and keep the door to dialogue open even in moments of tension.

For the business community, there is a lesson here. Strategic patience is not passivity; it is an active choice to create space for solutions that are durable, not merely expedient. The long game requires recognizing that global supply chains, capital markets and innovation ecosystems are deeply intertwined. Disruption in one domain reverberates across all others. An extended truce, if leveraged wisely, can help restore a measure of predictability to this interconnected system.

As the clock ticks toward November, boardrooms should prepare for multiple scenarios, but they should also recognize that the mere act of extending the truce is itself a signal worth acting upon. It tells us that even amid sharp competition, the two largest economies on earth can find room for pragmatic accommodation. That should embolden global firms to continue investing in cross-border capacity, innovation partnerships and diversified sourcing strategies that assume – not deny – the reality of interdependence.

The choice for the next stage of the China-U.S. economic relationship is not between rivalry and cooperation alone; it is about defining a mode of interaction that allows competition to exist without collapsing into confrontation. This requires more than political will;it requires a shared recognition, in Washington, Beijing and in every corporate headquarters in between, that stability is itself a competitive advantage.

For now, the extension of the truce offers breathing room. It is a chance for policymakers to narrow differences, for businesses to stabilize operations and for the global economy to step back from yet another brink. In an age of volatility, such breathing room is rare – and it should be valued, protected and used to build something more enduring.

Xu Ying is a Beijing-based international affairs commentator for CGTN.

来源：中国网一点号