U.S.-China relations May 2025-

7 May
US, China to hold ice-breaker trade talks in Geneva on Saturday
Bessent, Greer will hold trade talks with China’s He Lifeng
Stock markets lifted by prospect of tensions easing
U.S.-China tariffs “the equivalent of an embargo”, Bessent says
China injects new monetary stimulus to combat tariff blow
(Reuters) U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and chief trade negotiator Jamieson Greer will meet China’s economic tsar He Lifeng in Switzerland this weekend for talks that could be the first step toward resolving a trade war disrupting the global economy.
Who is He Lifeng, the Chinese trade tsar taking centre stage in US tariff talks?
Vice Premier He to meet U.S. officials on Saturday
He initially underwhelmed foreign investors, but has gained confidence and experience
He described as ideological proponent of state-led growth
(Reuters) – He Lifeng, a longtime confidant of Chinese President Xi Jinping who has slowly cultivated a reputation among foreign investors as a key fixer, will take centre stage in talks on Saturday aimed at breaking a trade deadlock with the United States.
Trump’s team is finally meeting with China. The future of the global economy is riding on its success
CNN — US President Donald Trump’s top trade officials will meet with their Chinese counterparts this week to discuss a de-escalation of their increasingly ugly and damaging trade war. The future of the global economy is riding on their success.
The trade talks, the first in-person meeting between Chinese and American officials since the tit-for-tat tariff escalation kicked off in earnest in March, are unlikely to result in a trade deal, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday. But tariffs have reached such a high level that trade between the two countries has dropped off dramatically. Any thaw in the trade war could be a welcome sign for businesses and consumers in both countries and around the globe.
“The main objective of this meeting is to establish the conditions for a deal to be reached, including by defining what is feasible to be agreed upon and what isn’t,” said Alfredo Montufar-Helu, head of the Conference Board’s China Center. “There might be some quick wins, like a temporal pause of tariffs, which would bring much needed relief to businesses from both countries.”