The U.S.-Chinese cease-fire left exporters with crippling tariffs, worsening a slowdown for light-industry factories caused by China’s shift to advanced manufacturing.

U.S. and Chinese officials agreed to seek an extension of their 90-day tariff truce on Tuesday, following two days of what both sides described as constructive talks in Stockholm aimed at defusing an escalating trade war between the world's two biggest economies that threatens global growth.

After an era pushing the world toward open trade, the U.S. under President Trump has just pivoted toward higher tariffs and bilateral brinkmanship.

Chinese and American trade negotiators concluded their two-day meeting in Stockholm without a clear path forward to avert tariffs from skyrocketing back to ultra-high levels that formed an effective blockade on trade between the world’s two largest economies.

China is facing an August 12 deadline to reach a durable tariff agreement with Trump's administration, after Beijing and Washington reached preliminary deals in May and June to en