Treasury Secretary to Hold Trade Talks in Paris Before Trump’s China Visit

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will conduct trade discussions with China's Vice Premier He Lifeng in Paris this weekend. The meetings are designed to lay groundwork for President Trump's upcoming state visit to Beijing beginning March 31.

The Treasury Department announced Thursday that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will conduct trade discussions with China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng over the weekend in Paris, setting the stage for President Trump’s planned state visit to Beijing that begins March 31.

While Beijing has not yet publicly acknowledged these weekend negotiations between Bessent and He, they appear to serve as preliminary preparations for the state visit, which China also has not officially confirmed. The White House has indicated Trump plans to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with the visit widely viewed as an effort to maintain stability between the globe’s two biggest economies.

In a statement, Bessent said, “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. Under the guidance of President Trump, our team will continue to deliver results that put America’s farmers, workers, and businesses first.”

This will mark Trump’s first presidential trip to China since his 2017 visit during his initial term. The upcoming visit occurs five months following the leaders’ meeting in Busan, South Korea, where they established a one-year ceasefire in their trade dispute that had previously escalated tariffs to triple-digit levels before both nations stepped back.

Business leaders and policy experts plan to monitor the Bessent-He discussions closely for hints about potential deals when Trump and Xi convene in Beijing, particularly regarding whether China might increase purchases of American goods like soybeans and aircraft, and how both countries will address their trade deficit issues.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently described the coming period as a “big year” for U.S.-China relations. Though he stopped short of confirming the state visit, Wang noted that “the agenda of high-level exchange is already on the table.”

Wang added, “What the two sides need to do now is to make thorough preparations accordingly, create a suitable environment, manage the risks that do exist and remove unnecessary disruptions.”

Bessent and He have been spearheading trade discussions between both nations since the previous year, conducting meetings across multiple cities including Geneva, London, Stockholm, Madrid and Kuala Lumpur.