Chips, soybeans, tariffs: what’s on tap for US-China talks before Trump’s next visit?

Chinese and US negotiators are expected to discuss stepping up trade in AI chips and farm products, as well as what to do later this year when their hard-fought 2025 truce expires – all before President Donald Trump visits China for the first time in his current term, analysts said on Wednesday.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested on Tuesday that the pieces were in place for an April summit in Beijing between Trump and President Xi Jinping, as announced by the US leader in late October. But US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told reporters that more trade talks would take place before any such summit.

“These topics, they’ve talked about for several rounds,” said Zhao Xijun, a finance professor at Renmin University. “But the framework deal goes through November, so after that, what [will they] do with it? China wants a longer-term framework.”

Ideas for an additional round of talks ahead of a Trump visit, though generally not expected to yield substantive outcomes that would overshadow a leadership summit, reflect how the two economic powerhouses have a list of tricky unfinished business, even after reaching their framework deal in November.

“We should be realistic about trade prospects in the long run,” said Xu Tianchen, a senior economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

In Beijing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded cautiously to a question about Greer’s comments. Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun sidestepped confirming a specific meeting time or location, saying at a regular press conference on Wednesday that reporters should consult relevant Chinese authorities.

South China Morning Post