The US and China have confirmed they will resume bilateral trade negotiations in Switzerland this week, amid escalating tensions due to mutual retaliatory tariff measures, raising concerns about negative impacts on global economic growth. This is seen as the latest effort to restore dialogue between the world's two largest economies.
According to announcements from the US Treasury Department and the US Trade Representative (USTR), the US delegation will be led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. The meetings are expected to take place on May 10 and 11 in Switzerland, aimed at establishing a foundation for future trade negotiations. This is also the first official public contact between high-ranking US-China officials after a long period of escalating trade tensions.
Speaking on Fox News's "The Ingraham Angle", Secretary Bessent said the main goal of this meeting is to find ways to "de-escalate" tensions rather than immediately pursuing a comprehensive trade agreement. He emphasized: "We must de-escalate first, then we can move forward."
China has also confirmed that Vice Premier Ha Lap Phong - who directly oversees economic and trade issues between the two countries - will participate in negotiations with US representatives. According to Xinhua News Agency on May 7, Mr. Ha will travel to Switzerland at the invitation of the Swiss government, as part of a diplomatic visit from May 9 to 12.
Information about the US-China meeting comes as Secretary Bessent recently informed the US Congress that the Trump administration is actively negotiating with 17 major trading partners on tariff-related issues. Some agreements may be announced soon this week, however, China is not among the countries expected to complete negotiations.
