US ambassador to China says progress on agreements, Boeing deal among signs of better ties

The United States’ top diplomat in China has expressed optimism about US-China ties during a closed-door speech in Hong Kong where he said risks in the relationship have been controlled effectively and a Boeing deal is being negotiated, sources said.Sources who attended the speech by David Perdue, America’s ambassador to China, said his message at Tuesday’s Goldman Sachs Global Macro Conference Asia Pacific 2026 was “comforting and reassuring” to hundreds of global business and finance leaders who are concerned about the trade and investment links between the world’s top two economies.It was Perdue’s first visit to Hong Kong since he became the ambassador to China on May 15, as first reported by the China-morning-post" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="12558" data-entity-type="organization">South China Morning Post this month.‘We have a deal’: Trump claims breakthrough after ‘12 out of 10’ talks with Xi Jinping‘We have a deal’: Trump claims breakthrough after ‘12 out of 10’ talks with Xi JinpingIn the speech, Perdue said the risks in Sino-US relations had been effectively controlled and the broader bilateral relationship had “improved multidimensionally” since Chinese President Xi Jinping met US President Donald Trump in Busan, South Korea, in October, according to three participants at the event who declined to be named.“Ambassador Perdue called it a remarkable achievement in the diplomacy between the two heads of state,” one participant said.A second attendee at the event said: “Overall, he seems to be optimistic about US-China relations this year as he also mentioned that Trump and Xi will meet multiple times this year.“It is comforting and reassuring for the business and finance leaders attending the event. The world is seeing a drastic rise in geopolitical risk. We badly need stability in China-US relations.”The US’ top envoy in China said that the American and Chinese trade negotiators had made a lot of progress towards a series of agreements before Trump’s expected visit to China in April, including a deal involving Boeing, according to the sources.