Senior officials from the United States and China met in Paris on Sunday for high-level economic and trade talks, setting the stage for U.S. President Donald Trump’s upcoming state visit to Beijing to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
The delegations were led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, who convened in the French capital on Sunday morning, according to China’s official news agency Xinhua. The White House has indicated that Trump will visit China from March 31 to April 2, though Beijing has not formally confirmed the trip.
Bessent said the talks aim to produce results that prioritize American farmers, workers, and businesses. The U.S. Treasury Department confirmed that he will meet with He over the course of Sunday and Monday to address trade and economic matters.
The Paris meetings come five months after Trump and Xi met in Busan, where they agreed to a one-year truce in a trade dispute that had previously escalated tariffs to triple-digit levels. Despite the truce, tensions remain over ongoing U.S. trade investigations targeting China and 15 other trading partners following a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated Trump-era global tariffs. These investigations could pave the way for new trade restrictions.
Energy security and geopolitical issues, including the conflict in Iran, are expected to feature in discussions, with Trump urging China, France, Japan, South Korea, and the U.K. to help ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains open.
Analysts see the Paris talks as the most consequential bilateral engagement ahead of the Trump-Xi summit. “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,” said Gary Ng, senior economist at Natixis and research fellow at the Central European Institute of Asian Studies.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described 2026 as a potentially “big year” for U.S.-China relations, noting that the agenda for high-level exchanges has already been outlined.
Bessent and He have been leading trade negotiations since last year, holding prior meetings in Geneva, London, Stockholm, Madrid, and Kuala Lumpur, signaling a continued commitment to resolving economic disputes before the planned summit.