Trump’s Tariffs Bring China to the Negotiating Table, Meetings in Switzerland [WATCH]

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet with senior Chinese officials this weekend in Switzerland to discuss the future of economic and trade relations between the United States and China.

The meetings, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, mark the first formal bilateral discussions since President Donald Trump implemented a sweeping 145% tariff on Chinese imports.

The discussions will take place in a neutral setting, with Bessent and Greer also scheduled to meet with Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter during their visit.

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Officials from both countries are framing the talks as an attempt to deescalate rising economic tensions.

“We have shared interests,” Bessent said in an interview Tuesday on The Ingraham Angle on Fox News.

“The current tariff war isn’t sustainable, especially on the Chinese side. And, you know, 145%, 125%, is the equivalent of an embargo. We don’t want to decouple; what we want is fair trade.”

Bessent indicated that the meetings will focus on stabilizing the relationship, rather than achieving a comprehensive trade agreement.

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“My sense is that this will be about deescalation, not about the big trade deal,” Bessent said.

“But we’ve got to deescalate before we can move forward.”

The discussions come amid renewed tensions following President Trump’s decision to impose steep tariffs on Chinese goods as part of a broader effort to address what the administration calls long-standing trade imbalances and unfair practices.

The administration has argued that the tariffs are intended to protect American manufacturing and reduce dependency on Chinese supply chains.

In response, Beijing issued a statement acknowledging the upcoming talks and signaling a conditional willingness to re-engage.

“On the basis of fully considering global expectations, China’s interests, and the appeals of U.S. industry and consumers, China has decided to re-engage the U.S.,” the statement read.

However, the Chinese statement also included a warning: “There is an old Chinese saying: Listen to what is said, and watch what is done…. If (the U.S.) says one thing but then does another, or attempts to use talks as a cover to continue coercion and blackmail, China will never agree.”

The upcoming discussions will be the first high-level trade talks between the two nations since the announcement of the Trump administration’s latest tariffs.

The meeting follows months of rising economic pressure and growing concerns from international markets and U.S. industries about the long-term impact of the tariff policies.

The Trump administration has consistently defended the trade measures as necessary steps to rebalance the economic relationship between the world’s two largest economies.

White House officials have emphasized that future trade policy will be guided by the principles of reciprocity, transparency, and fairness.

The outcome of the weekend talks in Switzerland may help determine the direction of U.S.–China trade policy heading into the second half of 2025.

Both governments are under pressure to stabilize their economic relationship amid ongoing global uncertainty and market volatility.

The Treasury Department and U.S. Trade Representative’s Office have not yet released further details on the agenda for the meetings or potential next steps following the discussions.

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