Bloomberg reporting dated 18 Sep 2026 (carried by The Straits Times and CNBC TV18) says the United States is expected to delay announcing new tariffs over allegations of trading partners’ excess manufacturing capacity at least until after next week’s planned summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Washington. People familiar with the matter were cited; the reason for the delay was not made clear.
Bloomberg had earlier reported that the administration intended to release an excess-capacity trade report before the leaders’ meeting recommending a 7.5% tariff on Chinese goods. Coverage notes it is uncertain whether the final rate will match that earlier expectation. If applied as previously framed, the levy would restore Trump’s second-term China duties to around 20% — a level Beijing has previously said is consistent with its trade truce with Washington.
In March, the administration opened a Section 301 investigation into more than a dozen major trading partners over excess-capacity concerns. Those expected levies, together with already-implemented forced-labour-related duties, are described as part of efforts to rebuild tariff levels after the Supreme Court overturned country-specific emergency tariffs earlier in 2026. The Office of the US Trade Representative and the White House did not respond to comment requests. Inside US Trade first reported the delay. No HS list or effective date has been published.