The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced at 6 a.m. on the 7th that at the invitation of the Swiss government, He Lifeng, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, will visit Switzerland from May 9th to 12th. During his visit to Switzerland, Vice Premier He Lifeng, as the Chinese lead in China-US economic and trade negotiations, will hold talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is the U.S. lead.
Subsequently, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce of China responded to reporters' questions regarding the high-level economic and trade talks between China and the United States, stating that, "Recently, senior US officials have been continuously leaking information regarding tariff adjustments and proactively conveying this information to China through various channels, expressing their desire to engage in discussions on tariffs and other issues." China has carefully evaluated this information and, taking into full consideration global expectations, China's interests, and the calls of US industry and consumers, has decided to engage with the US.
According to Reuters on the 6th, Bessant said on Tuesday Eastern Time that the United States and China must first ease tensions before advancing trade negotiations. Bessant will hold talks with Chinese officials in Switzerland on Saturday and Sunday.
"My sense is it's going to be about de-escalation more than it is about a major trade deal, but we have to de-escalate before we can move forward," Bessant told Fox News Channel's "The Ingraham Angle."
Bessant said the Trump administration does not want to decouple from China in trade in textiles and other similar goods, but is determined to return production of strategic industries such as semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and steel to the United States.
