GENEVA — The United States and China are set to hold high-level diplomatic talks this weekend in Switzerland, marking the most significant engagement between the two global powers since President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on Chinese imports, sparking a protracted trade war.
The Biden administration announced Tuesday that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet with their Chinese counterparts in Geneva. The discussions come amid mounting concerns in U.S. financial markets over the long-term impact of tariffs on consumer prices and global supply chains.
“I look forward to productive talks as we work towards rebalancing the international economic system to better serve the interests of the United States,” Bessent said in a statement released by the Treasury Department.
In addition to the talks with Chinese officials, Bessent is scheduled to meet with Swiss President Karin Ketter-Sutter during his visit to Geneva, underscoring the broader diplomatic agenda of the trip.
This weekend’s meetings represent the highest-level direct engagement between Washington and Beijing in several months. Despite earlier claims by President Trump that negotiations were already in progress, Chinese officials have pushed back, insisting that any talks must be preceded by a rollback of punitive U.S. tariffs.
Earlier on Tuesday, Bessent testified before a House committee on Capitol Hill, confirming that formal negotiations with China over tariffs had not yet begun—a revelation that casts doubt on the administration’s previous assertions of progress.
The Geneva talks come at a pivotal moment, as both nations grapple with economic headwinds and geopolitical tensions that have complicated efforts to restore trade stability.
