Business leaders left waiting after Trump goes silent on promises from key event: report

Bennito L. Kelty
May 30, 2026 8:49PM ET
RAW STORY


Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump shake hands at a state banquet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, May 14, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci

Business leaders and industry groups are waiting for clarity and follow-up from the Trump administration on promises it made during the China summit earlier this month, according to new reporting.

The White House assured that a "board of trade" would help relieve Chinese and American tariffs, but it's still "ironing" out the plan, "a signal the clarity industry is searching for is unlikely to come all at once," Politico reported.

Ed Brzytwa, an executive for the Consumer Technology Association, said industry groups don't know what kind of products will see reduced tariffs. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer "hasn't been clear about it, neither have the Chinese," he told Politico.

Trump has "three and a half months to get this thing up and running," Wendy Cutler, a former senior U.S. trade negotiator, told Politico. She was looking ahead to Chinese leader Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to Washington in September.

"There will be pressure to show progress, given how few deliverables came out of this last summit meeting," Cutler said.

An anonymous White House official told Politico, "further details to come" on the plans that came out of the summit.

"The administration looks forward to engaging more with the business community on this historic policy that reflects our commitment to better manage trade between the U.S. and China," the official said, according to Politico.