Beijing (AFP) – China’s top economic official will leave on Saturday for talks with his US counterpart in France, Beijing said, less than three weeks before President Donald Trump’s expected summit with President Xi Jinping. The discussions in Paris between the world’s top two economies were confirmed the previous day by Washington, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent set to lead the US delegation.
“As agreed by China and the United States, (Vice Premier) He Lifeng…will lead a delegation to France from March 14 to 17 to hold economic and trade consultations with the US side,” an unidentified spokesperson for Beijing’s commerce ministry said in an online statement on Friday. The officials will “conduct consultations on economic and trade issues of mutual concern,” the statement said, without giving further details about the timing or content of the talks.
Bessent, who will 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 is seen as setting the stage for Trump’s expected visit to China later this month. 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.
China and the United States have navigated a rocky economic relationship since Trump began a second term in January 2025. Greer announced new trade investigations on Wednesday into excess industrial capacity, targeting China and other key partners.
China’s commerce ministry criticised the latest US probes as “a typical act of unilateralism that severely undermines the international economic and trade order.” “China urges the US side to correct its erroneous practices,” it said in a separate statement on Friday.
© 2024 AFP
