SUMMARY
• The U.S. and China have recommended $30 billion of non-sensitive goods in each direction for potentially more favorable tariff treatment.
• The U.S. export list includes logs and wood products, alongside agriculture, seafood, cosmetics and medical devices.
• The detailed official list specifically includes North American hardwood logs and North American hardwood lumber, as well as multiple softwood lumber and engineered-wood categories.
• The tariff reductions are not yet automatic or fully implemented; the two countries will consider the listed goods under their domestic legal and administrative processes.
• A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers had urged USTR to prioritize hardwood lumber, not only logs, arguing that domestic sawmills should capture more of the value added before export.
• USDA says the U.S. led China's hardwood lumber market through 2018 but had fallen to about 19% market share in 2025, with Thailand holding first place.
• Vietnam has meanwhile become the largest 2026 market for U.S. hardwood logs, buying $387.1 million from January through July, compared with $261.8 million shipped to China.

U.S. logs, hardwood lumber and other wood products have been included in a new U.S.-China trade framework recommending reduced tariff treatment for $30 billion of non-sensitive goods in each direction, potentially improving market access for American forest-product exporters.

The recommendations were announced following Chinese President Xi Jinping's September 23-25 state visit to Washington and meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The White House said the U.S.-China Board of Trade reached consensus on recommendations for more favorable tariff treatment covering American agricultural products, fish and seafood, logs and wood products, cosmetics and medical devices.

U.S.-China Board Recommends Tariff Relief on $30 Billion of Trade
The two governments established the U.S.-China Board of Trade during President Trump's May 2026 visit to Beijing as a mechanism for managing trade in non-sensitive products.

Following President Xi's Washington visit, the board recommended $30 billion of products from each country for potentially more favorable tariff treatment.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the products represent about 30% of U.S. exports to China.

China's Foreign Ministry separately listed the reciprocal $30 billion tariff arrangement among the eight economic and diplomatic understandings reached during the state visit.

Source: scrapmonster.com