The next round of US and China trade talks is expected to take place in mid-March, according to people familiar with the preparations, signaling that economic engagement between the world’s two largest economies is moving forward despite heightened geopolitical tensions following recent US military actions in the Middle East.
Senior negotiators from both sides are preparing to meet as momentum builds toward a long-anticipated summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, a meeting that could shape the trajectory of bilateral relations well beyond trade.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng are expected to convene in Paris toward the end of next week, according to people who requested anonymity because the discussions are not yet public. The talks are designed to lay the economic groundwork ahead of the leaders’ summit, with a focus on tangible business agreements.
While Paris is currently the favored location, both the timing and venue remain subject to change, reflecting the fluid diplomatic environment surrounding the negotiations.
Among the issues likely to be discussed are potential Chinese purchases of aircraft from Boeing Co., renewed commitments to buy US agricultural products such as soybeans, and the broader framework for commercial cooperation. Some of the people said sensitive topics including Taiwan could also surface, underscoring the overlap between economic and political concerns.
The agenda may also include the future of US tariffs linked to fentanyl trafficking, which were recently struck down by the Supreme Court. That ruling has complicated Trump’s broader tariff strategy and forced his administration to consider more targeted and legally intricate approaches to trade enforcement.
Neither the US Treasury nor China’s Ministry of Commerce immediately responded to requests for comment, highlighting the tentative nature of the plans.
The renewed US and China trade talks come at a time of elevated diplomatic strain. Washington’s recent strikes on Iran and the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have drawn sharp criticism from Beijing, adding another layer of complexity to summit preparations.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the killing as “unacceptable,” warning against what he characterized as attempts to impose regime change by force. Beijing also condemned the Trump administration earlier this year after US authorities detained Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, during an operation in Caracas.
While Iran and Venezuela are not among China’s most important trade partners, Chinese officials are increasingly wary of what they see as Washington’s expanding use of military and coercive measures, particularly as they assess risks to regional stability and global markets.
Despite these tensions, plans for Trump’s visit to China appear to be progressing. The US president is scheduled to travel to China between March 31 and April 2, marking the first visit by a sitting American president since Trump’s trip in 2017.
Beijing has yet to formally confirm the dates, consistent with its practice of releasing details of the Chinese leader’s schedule only shortly before major events. Still, the anticipated timeline has injected urgency into the US and China trade talks, giving negotiators little more than two weeks to finalize potential deals and resolve logistical details.
Trump has spoken publicly about his previous visit to China, recalling the lavish reception he received and the personal rapport he built with Xi. During that 2017 trip, Trump was given a rare private tour of the Forbidden City, an honor few foreign leaders have received.
Yet the goodwill proved short-lived. Within months, Trump launched his first trade war with China, imposing sweeping tariffs that reshaped global supply chains and defined much of the economic relationship between the two countries during his first term.
The upcoming summit offers a chance to reset that relationship, though expectations remain tempered by the legacy of mistrust on both sides.
The meeting between Bessent and He will be the first formal, high-level engagement since the Supreme Court’s decision weakened Trump’s ability to impose broad tariffs. That ruling has made bilateral negotiations more central to Washington’s trade strategy, increasing the importance of incremental agreements and sector-specific deals.
According to people familiar with the discussions, the economic track of the relationship is being kept deliberately separate from other geopolitical disputes, including security issues and regional conflicts. The goal, they said, is to secure pragmatic outcomes in areas where compromise remains possible.
Time pressure
The narrow window between the Paris talks and the leaders’ summit means negotiators face intense time pressure. Any commercial agreements announced during Trump’s visit would need to be largely finalized in advance, leaving little room for prolonged bargaining.
That urgency coincides with a critical political period in China, as Xi prepares for one of the country’s most important annual policy weeks. During that time, Chinese leaders will unveil the nation’s economic growth target for 2026, a moment closely watched by global investors.
The turbulence in the Middle East, combined with uncertainty over US trade policy, adds further complexity to Beijing’s calculations.
Bessent and He are no strangers to bilateral negotiations. They met in Geneva last May to launch a series of talks that continued in London, Stockholm, Madrid, and Kuala Lumpur. Those discussions resulted in a temporary truce that saw both sides ease tariffs and export controls, offering modest relief to businesses caught in the crossfire.
More recently, negotiators held informal discussions on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland earlier this year, keeping channels of communication open even as political tensions rose.
Speaking in January from Davos, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Washington and Beijing could attempt to sidestep the most contentious issues, such as advanced technology and national security, in favor of agreements covering less sensitive sectors.
That approach reflects a broader recognition that sweeping breakthroughs may be unrealistic in the near term. Instead, incremental progress in trade, agriculture, and manufacturing could help stabilize relations and rebuild a measure of trust.
For now, the planned Paris meeting stands as a crucial test of whether US and China trade talks can regain momentum amid an increasingly volatile global environment. Success would not only smooth the path toward a Trump–Xi summit but also signal to markets that economic pragmatism can still prevail over geopolitical rivalry.
Failure, however, would underscore how deeply strategic mistrust has taken hold, leaving the world’s two largest economies with fewer tools to manage competition in an era of overlapping crises.
