US and China reportedly discuss cutting tariff on US LNG ahead of Xi's visit, according to Reuters

LNG has sat at the centre of these episodes before, since US cargoes are one of the few levers that shifts the trade balance quickly, and Chinese buyers have historically rotated between US supply and spot alternatives almost entirely on the tariff arithmetic rather than on fundamentals. The transmission channels are specific: US Gulf Coast liquefaction margins and shipping economics on the Pacific route, the US-China LNG price differential against the tariff-inclusive delivered cost, and agricultural and energy contracts signed as part of the package. Past truces of this kind have tended to lift risk sentiment and compress trade-war risk premia at announcement, then fade as implementation lags or the underlying disputes resurface, so the tell is whether tariffs are actually cut on schedule rather than merely discussed. Worth noting that 'discuss' language ahead of a visit is the classic negotiating posture, and previous rounds have produced both signed deals and abrupt collapses within weeks of similarly constructive headlines. The follow-ons are the summit communique, any formal tariff schedule change, and whether Chinese state buyers resume tendering for US cargoes.