Bessent to meet China's top official ahead of Trump's Beijing visit

Washington: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Sunday and Monday in Paris for a new round of trade talks, the Treasury Department said Thursday, paving the way for President Donald Trump's state visit to Beijing starting March 31.

China has yet to announce the talks between He and Bessent, which are seen as preparatory work for the state visit that Beijing also has not confirmed. The White House has said Trump is travelling to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, and it's widely believed that the visit aims to keep relations stable between the world's two largest economies.

“Thanks to the bonds of mutual respect between President Trump and President Xi, the trade and economic dialogue between the United States and China is moving forward,” Bessent said in a statement.

“Under the guidance of President Trump, our team will continue to deliver results that put America's farmers, workers, and businesses first.”

Trump's visit to China will be the first for a US president since he went in his first term in 2017. It will come five months after the two leaders met in the South Korean city of Busan and agreed to a one-year truce in a trade war that temporarily saw tit-for-tat tariffs soar to triple digits before the two sides climbed down.