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Robert Delaney

Zhuang Pinghui

Yuanyue Dang

Beijing has warned Washington not to use dialogue as a tactic for coercion as senior US and Chinese officials prepare to for talks this weekend that will be the first face-to-face discussions since the start of the latest trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US trade representative Jamieson Greer will meet China’s top economic official, Vice-Premier He Lifeng, in Switzerland.
The Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday morning that He would visit Switzerland from May 9 to 12. An earlier US statement did not specify which Beijing officials would take part in the meetings.
“He will hold talks with Swiss leaders and relevant parties. During his visit to Switzerland, Vice-Premier He, as the Chinese lead person for China-US economic and trade affairs, will have a meeting with the US lead person Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent,” it said.
In a separate statement, China’s Ministry of Commerce said Beijing had agreed to engage with the US in discussions “taking into full account global expectations, China’s interests, and the appeals of US industries and consumers”.
The announcements followed repeated hints from Washington that it was considering adjusting its tariff measures and actively relaying messages to Beijing through various channels.
However, Beijing has warned against using dialogue “as a tactic for further coercion”, with the Commerce Ministry statement stressing that the talks must be based on mutual respect and a genuine willingness to address concerns.
“If the US says one thing but does another, or even uses talks as a smokescreen to continue coercion and extortion, China will never accept it, nor will it compromise its principles or sacrifice international fairness and justice just to reach any agreement,” it said.




The US must face up to the severe negative impact of its unilateral tariff measures, both on itself and the world, acknowledge international trade rules, fairness and justice, and the rational voices from all sides, the ministry added.
“It must demonstrate sincerity, correct its wrong practices, and work with China to address mutual concerns through equal consultation.”
The Ministry of Commerce’s statement included a firm warning against concessions to individual countries, with multiple economies engaging in trade talks with the US, saying that “appeasement cannot secure peace, nor can compromise win respect”.
Washington has imposed tariffs totalling 145 per cent on Chinese imports so far this year, bringing the effective tariff rate to about 156 per cent. A fact sheet released by the White House last month showed that China now faces tariffs of up to 245 per cent, including duties ranging from 7.5 per cent to 100 per cent that predate the second Trump administration.
Responding to the moves, Beijing has slapped new levies on US goods, bringing them to 125 per cent, also on top of earlier-imposed tariffs.
In an interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News after the announcement of the talks, Bessent said China and the US had shared interests.
“This isn’t sustainable, as I said before, especially on the Chinese side, and you know 145 per cent, 125 per cent is the equivalent of an embargo. We don’t want to decouple. What we want is fair trade.”
Bessent downplayed expectations, suggesting the talks would be an initial step and might not lead to significant progress.
“My sense is that this will be about de-escalation, not about the big trade deal, but we’ve got to de-escalate before we can move forward.”
He also denied that there was “a first call”, saying that there had been “a lot of contact points over time”.
“The world has been coming to the US, and China has been the missing piece. I was going to be in Switzerland to negotiate with the Swiss. Turns out the Chinese team is travelling through Europe, and they will be in Switzerland also, so we will meet on Saturday and Sunday,” he said.


The office of the US Trade Representative and the Treasury Department said Greer and Bessent would travel together to Geneva on Thursday and would also meet Swiss President Karin Ketter-Sutter to discuss negotiations over reciprocal trade.
“At [US President Donald] Trump’s direction, I am negotiating with countries to rebalance our trade relations to achieve reciprocity, open new markets, and protect America’s economic and national security,” Greer’s office said.
“I look forward to having productive meetings with some of my counterparts as well as visiting with my team in Geneva who all work diligently to advance US interests on a range of multilateral issues,” it added.
“While in Switzerland, Ambassador Greer will also meet with his counterpart from the People’s Republic of China to discuss trade matters.”
The meeting will be the first in-person, high-level engagement between Trump administration officials and Beijing’s economic team since the US president started his second administration in January.
It follow suggestions by Trump in recent weeks – all denied by Beijing – that his administration has been in contact with Chinese officials on trade.
Trump claimed in an interview with Time magazine published last month, and again before attending Pope Francis’ funeral last week, that he had spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping and that details would be disclosed “at an appropriate time”.

Shi Yinhong, a professor at Renmin University’s school of international studies in Beijing, said the announcement marked a “significant shift” in China’s position, with the removal of the extremely high tariffs on Chinese goods “no longer ... a precondition for China-US trade talks”.
Shi said this meant that “after three months of turbulent China-US economic and trade relations, the situation has finally started to ease”.
“But it remains to be seen whether this easing will be sustained and whether it will lead to short-term coordination, such as the economic and trade agreement reached on January 15, 2020,” he added.
Zhu Feng, dean of the school of international studies at Nanjing University, said the talks were a positive signal that “no matter how long the trade war lasts, contact and dialogue are inevitable choices”.
China had always “resolutely opposed” the trade war initiated by Trump, but “ultimately the problem needs to be solved”, Zhu said, adding that the dialogue in Switzerland would put both sides on a “track of substantive consultations”.
The dialogue between the world’s two largest economies would also play a crucial role in “the stability of the global economy”, he said.
However, Zhu noted that US trade discussions with Japan, India, South Korea and Canada had not so far led to any “substantive result” and he added that he did not believe the US-China dialogue would “yield results anytime soon”.
While the meeting between He and Bessent would have a positive impact on restoring high-level discussions between China and the US, “direct communication and exchanges between the two presidents are still irreplaceable”, Zhu said.


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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says meeting with Vice-Premier He Lifeng will be about ‘de-escalation, not a big trade deal’


Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says meeting with Vice-Premier He Lifeng will be about ‘de-escalation, not a big trade deal’.


US-ally trade wars

China warns US against ‘coercion’ as top officials prepare for trade talks

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says meeting with Vice-Premier He Lifeng will be about ‘de-escalation, not a big trade deal’

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says meeting with Vice-Premier He Lifeng will be about ‘de-escalation, not a big trade deal’