[Stay on top of transportation news: .]
US-China Trade Talks Open in Paris, Paving Way for Summit
Trump, Xi to Meet in About 2 Weeks
BEIJING — Representatives from Beijing and Washington began theireconomic and trade talksin Paris on March 15, paving the way for U.S. President Donald Trump’sstate visitto Beijing to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in about two weeks.
The delegations, led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, convened in the French capital in the morning, China's official news agency Xinhua reported. The White House has said that Trump will travel to China from March 31 to April 2, though Beijing has not officially confirmed it.
Bessent said on March 12 that his team will continue to deliver results that put America's farmers, workers and businesses first. The U.S. Treasury Department said Bessent will meet He March 15-16.
China’s commerce ministry said March 13 the two sides are set to discuss “trade and economic issues of mutual concern.”
Trump’s visit to China will be the first for a U.S. president sincehe went in his first term in 2017. It will come five months after the two leadersmet in the South Korean city of Busanand agreed toa one-year trucein a trade war that temporarily saw tit-for-tat tariffs soar to triple digits before the two sides climbed down.
Image
Chinese vice prime minister He Lifeng waves as he arrives at Rosenbad before trade talks between the U.S. and China in Stockholm on July 28, 2025. (Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency via AP)
Still, trade remains a source of tensions. The commerce ministry on March 13 hit back against the Trump administration’snew trade investigationinto 16 trading partners, including China. The investigation — which came after a Supreme Court rulingstruck downTrump’s sweeping global tariffs that were imposed last year — could pave the way for new tariffs.
Another issue that could be discussed is the Iran war, especially when global anxiety is soaring overoil prices and supplies. Trumpsaid March 14 that he hopes China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and others will send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz “open and safe.”
Before the March 15 talks, Gary Ng, a senior economist at French bank Natixis and a research fellow at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies, said the Paris meeting is likely the most important bilateral one before the Xi-Trump summit.
Patrick Brennan of Cox Fleet talks about the common missteps that fleets make in planning for future maintenance and operational needs.Tune in above or by going to .
The key issue is "whether China and the U.S. can agree on what is agreed and manage disagreement. Iran is a new factor, but Beijing is more concerned about the flip-flopping of U.S. policies,” he said.
Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said it wouldbe a “big year”for China-U.S. relations. While he did not confirm the state visit, Wang said that “the agenda of high-level exchange is already on the table.”
Bessent and He have led trade negotiations between the countries since last year, having met in Geneva, London, Stockholm, Madrid and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
