Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, VITAL BRIEFING—China, U.S. trade tensions ease; tariff truce continues, (Jun 13, 2025)

By Thomas Thompson

High-level negotiations between the U.S. and China yielded some promising results, after a phone call from President Trump to China’s President Xi, where he sought to staunch escalating claims of bad faith being asserted by each of the parties.

After two days of trade negotiations in London earlier in the week, senior trade negotiators from China and the United States struck a deal, and thereby avoided escalating the trade war between two of the world’s largest economies. Significantly, the parties agreed to a framework whereby each country will be provided access to the other’s critical products for export.

In this Vital Briefing, Thomas Thompson provides an overview of the recent history of US-China trade discussions, the complex dynamics at play, as well as several issues that remain unresolved as the clock ticks down on a timetable for tangible results called for by the President. Some of the topics Thompson discusses in the briefing include:

• An apparent reduction in tensions between the parties as evidenced by a direct communication between Trump and Chinese leader Xi, the first time they spoke since the start of the president’s second term.

• A seeming agreement regarding the access to rare earth minerals.

• Concerns articulated by independent voices that the U.S. might be providing material concessions in connection with its ability to control exports of hi-tech products with military and security applications.

• Serious open questions remaining on how the parties move forward with an August 10 deadline approaching, current tariff levels on Chinese imports at 55 percent, and with no further negotiations having been scheduled.

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