Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are expected to speak ‘at some point.’
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Thursday that trade negotiations between U.S. and Chinese officials are lagging and may require intervention from both countries’ leaders.
Bessent told Fox News that U.S.–China trade talks have been “a bit stalled” and that he expects to hold further discussions with Chinese officials in the coming weeks.
The two nations previously agreed on May 12 to temporarily pause their trade measures on one another, halting reciprocal tariffs for 90 days pending negotiations.
“I think that given the magnitude of the talks, given the complexity, that this is going to require both leaders to weigh in with each other,” Bessent said.
“They have a very good relationship, and I am confident that the Chinese will come to the table when President [Donald] Trump makes his preferences known.”
Bessent said that Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are expected to speak “at some point,” though he did not provide any specifics.
Both economies have sought to end a trade war in which the United States escalated its tariff on Chinese goods to 145 percent and the Chinese communist regime hiked levies to 125 percent on U.S. imports.
On May 12, the two sides reached a temporary agreement under which the United States reduced its reciprocal tariff on Chinese imports to 30 percent and China lowered its tariff on U.S. goods to 10 percent.
Last week, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau had a phone conversation with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, during which both sides agreed on the need to keep open lines of communication. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the talk covered “important issues of common concern,” but did not elaborate.
