U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday that trade negotiations between the United States and China will resume on June 9th in London, marking the first formal engagement between the two countries in weeks amid escalating trade tensions.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will lead the American delegation during the upcoming talks.
The announcement comes one day after Trump held a phone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, their first direct communication since trade discussions broke down earlier this spring.
This week, global automakers warned of production disruptions due to China’s continued delays in issuing export licenses for rare earth minerals—materials critical for high-tech industries, including electric vehicles and semiconductors. Some manufacturers said they were considering relocating production to China to mitigate supply disruptions.
China began imposing stringent export controls on rare earth elements in April, shortly after Trump introduced a new round of tariffs on Chinese imports. The export restrictions were widely viewed as a strategic move by Beijing to leverage its dominance in the rare earths market.
On Friday, Reuters reported that China had granted temporary rare earth export licenses to three U.S. automakers—General Motors, Ford, and Jeep-maker Stellantis—potentially as a goodwill gesture following Thursday’s Trump-Xi call.
Last week, Treasury Secretary Bessent acknowledged that trade negotiations had stalled. The following day, Trump posted a fiery message on Truth Social accusing Beijing of violating the May 12th tariff pause agreement. He also claimed that he had agreed to the temporary lifting of tariffs only to prevent China’s economy from collapsing.
In response, China accused the U.S. of breaching the agreement by implementing new export restrictions on advanced AI chips and related software, and for issuing guidance discouraging U.S. firms from purchasing Chinese-made tech products.
Another possible factor in the shift toward dialogue was Trump’s reported private request to Senate Republicans not to advance a bill that would impose 500% tariffs on nations importing Russian energy. Had the bill passed, it would have effectively quadrupled tariffs on China and enshrined them into U.S. law—an outcome that reportedly concerned Beijing and may have delayed its willingness to reenter negotiations.