During the extended tariff truce, the countries are said to commit to not imposing additional tariffs on each other or escalating the trade war in other ways.
The newspaper's sources, described as familiar with China's position, further claim that they do not expect any major breakthroughs in individual issues during the meeting, the third in three months due to the trade war between the countries.
Delegations led by US Finance Minister Scott Bessent and China's Vice Premier He Lifeng are holding talks in Stockholm on Monday and Tuesday.
Extension in focus
They have previously met for bilateral trade meetings in Geneva in May and in London in June. One of the main points on the agenda in Stockholm is an extension of the current 90-day tariff truce, which expires on August 12.
If the previous meetings focused on cooling down the trade war, China's delegation will now move forward with positions in Stockholm and put higher pressure on the US regarding fentanyl-related tariffs, writes South China Morning Post, citing three sources.
US President Donald Trump introduced in March an additional 20 percent tariff on Chinese goods, citing that China, according to Trump, has not done enough to stop the influx of the synthetic opioid fentanyl to the US, where the drug claims tens of thousands of lives annually.
Long-standing conflict
The trade war between the US and China – the world's two largest economies – dates back to 2018 when President Donald Trump, during his first term, introduced tariffs on Chinese goods, citing the US trade deficit.
Since Trump's return to the White House, the conflict has flared up again. During a few intense days in April, the countries took turns driving up tariffs to three-digit percentage rates before agreeing on a 90-day tariff truce in May.
