Top officials in the Trump administration are expected to meet a high-level Chinese delegation in Switzerland this week, marking the first major talks between the two countries since President Donald Trump fired a trade war on the basis of import duties.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent and trade representative Jamieson Greer are expected to represent the United States when they meet their Chinese counterparts in Geneva.
“Economic security is national security, and President Donald J. Trump is leading both domestically and internationally for a stronger, more prosperous America,” Bescent said. “I look forward to productive consultations as we work towards realigning the international economic system to better serve the interests of the United States.”
Trump says he won’t drop tariffs to take China to the negotiation table
Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent will listen Tuesday during the House Budget Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Hearings in Washington, D.C. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday, and during his time in Switzerland, Bescent will meet with Swiss President Karin Keller Sutter.
According to a news release, Bessent will follow up at a recent meeting with Keller-Sutter on the bystander of the recent World Bank Group (WBG) International Monetary Fund (IMF) spring meeting.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lynn Jiang confirmed the meeting in a post on X on Tuesday.
China is discussing with Trump’s managers about lowering tariffs, the ministry says
“From May 9th to 12th, at an invitation from the Swiss government, members of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee and the Deputy Prime Minister of the State Council will visit Switzerland. “During his visit to Switzerland, he will meet with the Chief Treasury Secretary of the US, Scott Bescent, as a leading figure in China and the US Economic and Trade Bureau.
“From May 12th to 16th, he will be co-chairing with the French side in France and will be discussing the 10th China-France high-level economic and financial dialogue,” he added.
The conference continues to grow as U.S. markets worry about the impact of Trump’s tariffs on prices and supply.
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President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping
Last month, Trump announced it had wiped out global tariffs. He slapped 145% tariffs on Chinese imports. Meanwhile, Beijing has placed a 125% tariff on US imports. However, the country has recently abandoned tariffs on many American-made products.
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According to Reuters, some drugs, microchips and aircraft engine exemptions were already exempt, but China has added ethane import exemptions.
The change in Beijing’s message on tariffs is in stark contrast to the April 23rd comments at the UN Security Council’s Aria-style meeting on “the impact of unilateral practices and bullying practices on international relations.” At that meeting, China accused the US of using tariffs to bully other parts of the world.
Rachel Wolf and the Associated Press of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
Greg Wehner is a news reporter for Fox News Digital.
Story tips and ideas can be sent to greg.wehner @fox.com and Twitter @gregwehner.
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