US, China hold trade talks in Paris to clear path to Trump-Xi summit

The world’s two largest economies are trying to hash out trade issues as US President Donald Trump is expected to visit China this month.Published On 15 Mar 2026Top officials from the United States and China have launched ⁠a new round of talks before a summit ⁠between their presidents, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, expected in Beijing later this ⁠month.US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Sunday at the Paris headquarters of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development to hash out trade issues between the world’s two largest economies.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Trump says ‘many countries’ will send warships to Hormuz amid Iran blockadelist 2 of 4The Take: Why China’s citizens are rooting for Iran in the US-Israel warlist 3 of 4Oil stays above $100 a barrel amid Iran’s stranglehold on Strait of Hormuzlist 4 of 4Could Iran be using China’s highly accurate BeiDou navigation system?end of listThe discussions are expected to focus on ⁠shifting US tariffs, the flow of Chinese-produced rare earth minerals and magnets to US buyers, the US’s high-tech export controls and Chinese purchases of US agricultural products.China and the US fought a bruising trade war for much of 2025, with reciprocal tariffs reaching triple digits at one point and export restrictions threatening to wreck global supply chains for critical minerals.Tensions cooled after Trump met Xi in Busan, South Korea, in October, but new US probes into Chinese industrial overcapacity and forced labour announced on Wednesday threaten more instability.China’s commerce ministry said in a statement on Friday that officials in Paris would “conduct consultations on economic and trade issues of mutual concern”, without giving further details about the content of the talks.Bessent, who was to be accompanied by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, said in a statement on Thursday that “economic dialogue” between the countries “is moving forward”.The Paris gathering, which is due to last two days, is seen as setting the stage for Trump’s meeting with China’s Xi. Washington has said Trump will visit China from March 31 to April 2, although Beijing has yet to confirm those dates in line with its usual practice.