The White House said Sunday that the United States had reached a trade deal with China, though it offered no details and said those would be released Monday.

The breakthrough came after two days of talks between U.S. and Chinese negotiators in Geneva, Switzerland.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer emerged from the talks saying there was “substantial progress” toward de-escalating what has become an all-out trade war between the two economic superpowers.

“The United States has a massive $1.2 billion trade deficit. So the president declared a national emergency and imposed tariffs,” Mr. Greer said.“We are confident that the deal we struck with our Chinese partners will help us to work toward resolving that national emergency.”

Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng told reporters that negotiators had agreed to establish a “trade consultation mechanism.” He said the two sides “have taken important steps to resolve differences through equal dialogue and consultation,” according to state news agency Xinhua.

He said China wants to make the “pie of cooperation bigger” with the U.S.

Mr. Bessent promised they would share more details from the “productive” weekend negotiations on Monday.

A deal with China would be a massive win for Mr. Trump. His aggressive tariff push has been met with stiff pushback from economists, free-market conservatives, and Democrats, who have warned that the tariffs increase the chances of an economic recession.

The White House is negotiating trade deals with over 170 countries. Last week, it announced it had carved out a new deal with the United Kingdom. However, China is the 800-pound gorilla. 

The United States and China are hoping to find common ground in a tit-for-tat trade war that led to a 145% tariff on Chinese imports and a 125% tariff on American products.

The “deal” could have global ramifications, as the trade war has generated considerable uncertainty in the markets and economies worldwide. U.S. retailers have warned that they will have to offset the cost of tariffs with price increases. They say the tariffs could lead to supply chain challenges and empty store shelves.

Meanwhile, economists have warned that the trade war could increase inflation and the chances of an economic recession.

To ease concerns, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Mr. Bessent traveled to Geneva to “reset” and “de-escalate” trade relations between the world’s two biggest economies.

“One of his objectives is to de-escalate,” Mr. Lutnick said on “Fox News Sunday.” “So he is there to see if he can reset the conversation.”

Mr. Trump insists the tariffs will help rebalance global trade, reduce the federal deficit, and encourage the reshoring of manufacturing and supply chains within the United States.

Mr. Bessent has said that the United States is in the driver’s seat in the negotiations because the Chinese economy is so dependent on shipping cheap goods to the United States, the latest consumer in the world.

According to the Mr. Greer, the U.S. exported $143.5 billion in goods to China in 2024 while importing $438.9 billion from China, for a trade deficit of $295.4 billion.

“I am happy to report we have made substantial progress between the United States and China in the very important trade talks,” Mr. Bessent said Sunday. “We will be giving details tomorrow, but I can tell you the talks were productive.”

Mr. Greer praised the work of the “tough” Chinese negotiators.

“It is important to understand how quickly we were able to come to an agreement, which reflects that perhaps the differences were not so large as maybe thought,” he said.

The meetings in Switzerland follow the first significant breakthrough in global trade negotiations since Mr. Trump started imposing 10 % tariffs on all imported goods on April 2 — a date the president dubbed “Liberation Day.”

He also unveiled additional tariffs for specific countries that he claimed had unfair trade practices.

Mr. Trump announced Friday that he had hammered out a new trade deal with the United Kingdom that lowers the tariffs on British steel, aluminum, and cars and opens up more access to the British market to American farmers.

The United Kingdom is still subject to the baseline 10% tariff that Mr. Trump has signaled is the new norm on imports.

“We do expect a 10% baseline tariff to be in place for the foreseeable future,” Mr. Lutnick said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Negotiating with China may be the most challenging task for Mr. Trump’s trade team, even as it sees progress in negotiating down trade barriers in other countries.

On Friday, Mr. Trump softened his posture toward China, saying Beijing could face an 80% tariff on its goods, marking a drastic reduction from the current 145% tariff.

“80% Tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B,” Mr. Trump wrote before the Geneva meeting.

He followed that up on Saturday, saying the U.S. and Chinese officials had a “very good meeting.”

“Many things discussed, much agreed to,” Mr. Trump posted about the seven-hour meeting on Truth Social. “A total reset negotiated in a friendly, but constructive, manner.”

On Sunday, Mr. Lutnick declined to clarify what was agreed to but said on “State of the Union” that the administration is “optimistic that things will work out well.”

Mr. Lutnick also dismissed economists’ warnings that tariffs would force consumers to pay more for goods.

“Don’t buy into these economists who are not in the real world,” he said.

During an appearance on “State of the Union,” Mr. Lutnick said those warnings are “silly” and “the business and the countries primarily eat the tariffs.

• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.