US Trade Representative Greer Says US and China to Roll Back Most Tariffs

US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer attend a news conference after trade talks with China, in Geneva, Switzerland, May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Emma Farge
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer attend a news conference after trade talks with China, in Geneva, Switzerland, May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Emma Farge
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US Trade Representative Greer Says US and China to Roll Back Most Tariffs

US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer attend a news conference after trade talks with China, in Geneva, Switzerland, May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Emma Farge
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer attend a news conference after trade talks with China, in Geneva, Switzerland, May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Emma Farge

US and Chinese officials said Monday they had reached a deal to roll back most of their recent tariffs for 90 days and keep talking to resolve their trade disputes.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the US agreed to drop its 145% tariff rate on Chinese goods by 115 percentage points to 30%, while China agreed to lower its rate on US goods by the same amount to 10%.

Greer and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the tariff reductions at a news conference in Geneva.

They said the two sides had set up consultations to continue discussing their trade issues.



Oil Set for Steepest Weekly Decline in Two Years as Risk Subsides

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
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Oil Set for Steepest Weekly Decline in Two Years as Risk Subsides

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

Oil prices rose on Friday though were set for their steepest weekly decline since March 2023, as the absence of significant supply disruption from the Iran-Israel conflict saw any risk premium evaporate.

Brent crude futures rose 50 cents, or 0.7%, to $68.23 a barrel by 1036 GMT while US West Texas Intermediate crude gained 49 cents, or nearly 0.8%, to $65.73.

During the 12-day war that started after Israel targeted Iran's nuclear facilities on June 13, Brent prices rose briefly to above $80 a barrel before slumping to $67 a barrel after US President Donald Trump announced an Iran-Israel ceasefire.

That put both contracts on course for a weekly fall of about 12%.

"The market has almost entirely shrugged off the geopolitical risk premiums from almost a week ago as we return to a fundamentals-driven market," said Rystad analyst Janiv Shah.

"The market also has to keep eyes on the OPEC+ meeting – we do expect room for one more month of an accelerated unwinding basis balances and structure, but the key question is how strong the summer demand indicators are showing up to be."

The OPEC+ members will meet on July 6 to decide on August production levels.

Prices were also being supported by multiple oil inventory reports that showed strong draws in the middle distillates, said Tamas Varga, a PVM Oil Associates analyst.

Data from the US Energy Information Administration on Wednesday showed crude oil and fuel inventories fell a week earlier, with refining activity and demand rising.

Meanwhile, data on Thursday showed that the independently held gasoil stocks at the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) refining and storage hub fell to their lowest in over a year, while Singapore's middle distillates inventories declined as net exports climbed week on week.

Additionally, China's Iranian oil imports surged in June as shipments accelerated before the conflict and demand from independent refineries improved, analysts said.

China is the world's top oil importer and biggest buyer of Iranian crude. It bought more than 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) of Iranian crude from June 1-20, according to ship-tracker Vortexa, a record high based on the firm's data.