$30 billion each way, no date in the gazette, and 178 exclusions that lapse on 10 November

In late September, after their eighth round of talks, Washington and Beijing agreed a “30-for-30” framework: roughly $30 billion of each side’s imports would lose the extra tariffs, with more than 90% of the listed products going back to normal most-favoured-nation rates². The US side covers things you can wrap: toys, home appliances, baby products, kitchenware, holiday gifts. China’s side covers American farm goods, personal-care products, medical devices and coal².

The consultations on the lists ended on 31 October, East Asia Brief reported on Monday¹. The US relief list runs to 77 tariff categories, almost all of them finished consumer goods. China’s runs to more than 1,600 tariff lines¹. Both lists leave out the things factories actually buy from each other: intermediate electronics, lithium-ion battery cells, chemical precursors and chip-making tools¹.

Now the dull part. Both governments must finish their domestic legal procedures before the cuts take effect, and the cuts are to start at the same time on both sides². As of Monday, no Federal Register notice had been published and no start date set, so US importers keep paying the current duties¹. Meanwhile a separate clock is running: temporary Section 301 exclusions for 178 categories of industrial equipment expire on 10 November unless USTR extends them¹. The wider truce runs to 10 January 2027¹.

What this means for you: if you sell Christmas decorations or kettles from China, relief is coming, but not on any date you can put in a contract yet. If you buy packaging lines, power tools or factory automation, the date that matters is next Tuesday, and it could move your costs the other way. A framework is a promise. The customs schedule is the invoice. Nothing here is investment advice.