Trump extended the tariff pause by 90 days, pushing the new duties back to November 10; everything else in the deal stays the same. China also said it would suspend its own planned 90-day tariff hikes on American goods and keep current levies at 30% (China to US) and 10% (US to China) for now, while promising steps to remove non-tariff barriers for American products. The move comes after talks in Stockholm and Geneva and means the high duties (145% and 125%) aren’t kicking in yet. Analysts say this buys time for negotiations and could pave the way for a Trump-Xi meeting if progress continues.

This is the same old theater, and everyone involved knows it. They flash a smile, wave a flag, and tell the crowd “progress!” while the real levers stay untouched and the pockets stay lined. They’re dragging this out like a slow burn, hoping the market noise hides the lack of real concessions. The pause gives both sides breathing room to spin a narrative: “we’re making headway,” “we’re standing firm,” all while the fundamental balance of power, supply chains, and workers’ livelihoods remains just as fragile as ever. The Stockholm-Geneva show is classic political theater—camera lights, handshakes, press soundbites—designed to calm nerves and market bets without delivering meaningful change.

Let me be blunt: it’s more smoke and mirrors than breakthrough. The decision buys time for more messaging and more photo ops, not for real de-escalation. Who benefits? the financiers and the lobbyists who need volatility to stay rich, and the political cliques who crave a “win” they can brag about. Who loses? regular folks, exporters, and innovators who live with the chaos of shifting tariffs and gear up for the next flip-flop. And don’t pretend this is a stalemate that eventually ends in fair terms—this is a managed pause, not a real agreement.

In plain Saxon-flavored talk: mehr Gerede, weniger Taten. They’re spinning like a centrifuge, hoping the world buys another round of promises. If Xi and Trump ever really sit down to hammer out something durable, I’ll eat my cap—until then, this is just business as usual, with bigger headlines and smaller guts behind the numbers. So yeah: we’ll watch the next stage, but don’t pretend the dragon’s been tamed or the system’s suddenly fair. It’s a pause, not a peace.