(Sept 21): US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer indicated that the country and China remain divided on the terms of a trade truce extension, suggesting that three to six months is a range that Washington could support.

“We will continue to have discussions about that,” Greer said in an interview on Monday on Bloomberg Television when asked about the Nov 10 expiration of the current tariff ceasefire with Beijing. “Our sense is we aren’t going to have the extension today, but again we still have some time before that happens. So my expectation is that we’ll continue talking and I think both sides want it.”

Greer explained that China has created uncertainty in limiting rare earth exports and the US is monitoring them, so the US wants incremental extensions to ensure compliance. “Just saying we have full trust and full confidence in each other at this point, I think is a little naive,” he said.

Asked if a three- to six-month extension is under discussion, Greer said “that’s probably the right kind of range” though it’s unlikely to be announced this week.

Greer spoke after he and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met for several hours of talks in New York on Sunday. The two sides discussed artificial intelligence, trade and the fallout from the war in Iran in negotiations that help set the stage for this week’s summit between leaders Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.

“The focus is on stability between the US and China and we are continuing that,” Greer said.

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