Chinese and US trade officials held a second day of meetings in the Swedish capital on Tuesday to try to break a logjam over tariffs that have skewed the pivotal commercial ties between the world's two largest economies.

Vice Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made no public comments to reporters after the first day of talks that lasted nearly five hours behind closed doors at the Swedish prime minister’s office on Monday.

Before the talks resumed on Tuesday, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson met with Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer over breakfast.

The United States has struck deals over tariffs with some of its key trading partners, including Britain, Japan and the European Union, since President Donald Trump announced “Liberation Day” tariffs against dozens of countries in April.

China remains perhaps the biggest unresolved case.

“The Chinese have been very pragmatic," Greer said in comments posted on social media by his office.

“Obviously we’ve had a lot of tensions over the years. We have tensions now, but the fact that we are regularly meeting with them to address these issues gives us a good footing for these negotiations.”

“Whether there will be a deal or not, I can’t say,” Greer added in the clip posted on X from MSNBC's “Morning Joe”. "Whether there’s room for an extension, I can’t say at this point. But the conversations are constructive and they’re going in the right direction.”

Many analysts expect that the Stockholm talks, at a minimum, will result in an extension of current tariff levels that are far lower than the triple-digit percentage rates as the US-China tariff tiff crescendoed in April, sending world markets into a temporary tailspin.

The Stockholm meetings could also provide some clarity about the prospects for a summit to be held later this year between President Xi Jinping and Trump. (AP)