Top officials from the United States and China are set to begin talks this week aimed at easing a damaging trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
According to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vice-Premier He Lifeng will attend the discussions in Switzerland from 9 to 12 May. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will represent Washington.
President Donald Trump has imposed import tariffs on Chinese goods of up to 145 percent. In retaliation, Beijing has introduced duties of up to 125 percent on select American imports.
However, global trade experts say that the negotiations are likely to take several months to bear fruit.
The talks mark the first high-level engagement between the two nations since Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng attended President Trump's inauguration in January.
Bessent said he hoped the talks would help reshape the international economic order in favour of the US. “My sense is that this will be about de-escalation, not the big trade deal. But we’ve got to de-escalate before we can move forward,” he told a news channel.
A spokesperson for China’s commerce ministry warned that Washington must acknowledge the damaging global impact of its unilateral tariffs if it hopes to reach a resolution through dialogue.
Chinese state media reported that Beijing’s decision to re-engage was based on careful consideration of global expectations, national interests, and appeals from American businesses. While signalling openness to talks, the report stressed that China would continue the fight “to the end” if necessary.
The ongoing trade dispute has rattled global markets and disrupted international commerce.
