China, U.S. officials to meet on trade this week

Beijing confirmed on Wednesday that its top trade negotiator will meet with his U.S. counterpart during a visit to Switzerland this week but issued a pointed warning: dialogue must be genuine, not a cover for continued pressure and unilateral demands.

In Washington, U.S. Treasury Department Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced that they will meet with their Chinese counterparts for talks.

The conversations mark the first official public engagement between the world's two largest economies after Trump administration's decision of imposing hefty tariffs on China imports plunged the two into a trade war.

In a statement issued early on Wednesday, China's Ministry of Commerce said that senior U.S. officials have repeatedly signaled adjustments to its tariff measures and conveyed messages through multiple channels, expressing a desire to engage with China on tariffs and related issues.

"After careful evaluation of these U.S. overtures and 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.," a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in the statement.

The statement said that Vice-Premier He Lifeng, China's lead representative on economic and trade issues, will hold talks with Bessent during his May 9-12 trip.

In Washington, Bessent confirmed in an interview that they would meet on Saturday and Sunday.

But Beijing made clear that it is entering the talks with caution. "If the U.S. wants to talk, our door is always open," a ministry spokesperson said. "But if it pays lip service to dialogue while using talks as a cover to continue coercion and extortion, China will never agree."

The spokesperson noted that negotiations must be grounded in "mutual respect, equal consultation and mutual benefit".

The ministry's statement cited an old Chinese saying: "We must not only listen to what they say but also watch what they do," warning that any future agreement would depend on Washington's sincerity and actions — not just its words.

The statement also carries a message to other economies that are engaging with Washington. "Appeasement does not bring peace, and compromise does not earn respect," it said, adding that only by adhering to principles, fairness, and justice can one truly safeguard interests.

Ahead of the planned meeting in Switzerland, Bessent said he looked forward to "productive talks".

He said the U.S. and China had to de-escalate before they can move forward with trade negotiations.

"My sense is that this will be about de-escalation, not about the big trade deal, but we've got to de-escalate before we can move forward," Bessent said in an interview on Fox News on Tuesday.

He also said "the current tariffs and trade barriers are unsustainable, but we don't want to decouple".

In his first 100 days in office since Jan 20, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced sweeping tariffs, starting with a 10 percent blanket duty on all foreign-made imports.

Dozens of countries received a 90-day pause until July, but tariffs were raised to 145 percent on products from China, which has retaliated by imposing 125 percent levies on U.S. goods.

Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, said the Switzerland meeting is very important, and that "the news would be warmly welcomed by the financial markets and trading firms".