In the first indication of a thaw in the trade war between the US and China, officials will meet in Switzerland

U.S. and Chinese officials meet in Geneva in first sign of thaw in trade war: “The problem is going nowhere”, says Ming Jinwei

HONG KONG — U.S. and Chinese officials have announced they will meet in Switzerland later this week, signaling a possible détente in the escalating trade war between the global superpowers.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet Beijing’s lead economic representative, He Lifeng, potentially paving the way for broader trade talks.

The U.S. and China have been locked in a tit-for-tat trade war, with both sides imposing hefty, triple-digit tariffs on each other’s goods, making trade between the world’s two largest economies near impossible.

The chief economist for the Asia Pacific at French bank Natixis said China and the U.S. need to move on. “I think both parties are keen to negotiate.”

For the negotiations to yield substantial results, the U.S. must adopt “a proper attitude,” political commentator Ming Jinwei said in an editorial published on Guancha, a Chinese news site which often reflects perspectives aligned with Chinese state interests.

A trade deal will be struck quickly, with the U.S. keeping 20% tariffs on Chinese goods, as both sides have already been impacted by the trade war, predicts Garcia-Herrero.

“The deal will be announced as a minor thing because they have convinced their constituencies that the other side is evil,” Garcia-Herrero said. They cannot really change that now.

Source: U.S. and Chinese officials will meet in Geneva in first sign of thaw in trade war

China’s Door remains Open for Negotiation, and the consequences of the Trump administration’s tariff actions on the international economy and global financial markets

China’s door remains open for negotiation and will not sacrifice its principles for just any agreement, a commerce ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.

The Chinese side also comes to the talks emboldened by the knowledge that President Trump has blinked in the face of a sharp sell-off in U.S. government bond markets, and broader financial market turbulence. The elections could affect President Trump’s position on tariffs if consumer prices go up as a result of a shortage of goods.

The central bank and the regulators took the biggest policy steps yet to shield the economy from the trade war in order to make it easier for banks to lend.

The Trump administration’s “tariff policies have dealt a severe blow to the international economic and trade order, triggered significant turbulence in international financial markets, and placed considerable pressure on the domestic capital market,” said Wu Qing, China’s stock regulator, at a press briefing with top officials.

Scott Kennedy, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that the Chinese economy is slowing but still have the upper hand. They could end up being part of the cause of bringing the global economy to a halt if they stonewall the Trump administration.