U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will travel to Switzerland on Thursday where he will meet with a top Chinese official for economic matters — as the Chinese government says it has decided to “engage with the U.S.”
Bessent’s meeting comes as the trade war between the U.S. and China continues.
The meeting also follows China’s government pushing back against President Donald Trump’s previous comments that the two countries were actively discussing trade.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testifies before a House Appropriations Financial Services Subcommittee oversight hearing on ‘The United States Air Force and Space Force,’ on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 6, 2025.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Bessent will also meet with Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter to discuss trade and said in a statement, “I look forward to productive talks as we work towards rebalancing the international economic system towards better serving the interests of the United States.”
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will also travel to Switzerland to meet with his Chinese counterpart.
In a statement, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said Bessent would be meeting with Vice Premier He Lifeng.
“China has decided to agree to engage with the US,”
“China’s position is consistent,” a statement from the Chinese Commerce Ministry said. “Whether it is fighting or negotiating, China’s determination to safeguard its own development interests will not change, and its position and goal of defending international fairness and justice and maintaining the international economic and trade order will not change. If we fight, we will fight to the end; if we negotiate, the door is open.”
-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie and Will Gretzky
