China's Ministry of Commerce said it was consulting with the United States on arrangements for a reciprocal tariff reduction framework worth some 30 billion dollars. The categories covered and the timing of application were not disclosed.

The same day, the foreign ministry said it was maintaining communication with Washington over arrangements for contact between the two countries' leaders within the year. Such meetings are customarily fixed only after working-level consultations have progressed.

Reciprocal reduction means both sides simultaneously lowering tariffs applied to each other's imports. The selection of categories, the depth of the cuts and the sequence of implementation are cited as the core of the negotiation.

Export controls, investment screening and the supply of advanced components sit alongside tariffs in the relationship. Progress on tariffs would not by itself settle the other tracks.

Manufacturing economies in the region, South Korea and Taiwan among them, are sensitive to changes in the tariff structure between the two, since intermediate goods trade connects to both markets and rate changes can redirect supply routes.

Details will be hard to confirm until any outcome is announced. Beyond acknowledging that talks are under way, neither side has offered figures.