U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday that higher tariffs championed by President Donald Trump will be imposed on a wide range of imports on Aug. 1, calling the date a “hard deadline” and ruling out any further grace period. Lutnick told U.S. media that Trump is still finalising country-specific rates but added that nations which fail to strike agreements before the deadline will face the new levies. In April the administration announced a 10% across-the-board tariff with additional charges that can reach 50%, then suspended most of the increases for 90 days. That pause was already extended once, from July 9 to Aug. 1. Shortly after Lutnick’s remarks, the South China Morning Post, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that Washington and Beijing expect to prolong their bilateral tariff truce by another 90 days during talks opening Monday in Stockholm. The extension, which neither government has confirmed, would cover measures scheduled to lapse on Aug. 12 and could avert an immediate escalation between the world’s two largest economies. Lutnick said Trump remains open to negotiations after Aug. 1 but stressed that the tariff programme will proceed as scheduled. U.S. trading partners including India, South Korea and the European Union have been pushing to secure exemptions or reduced rates ahead of the deadline.