High-level officials from the United States and China are set to meet in Paris on Sunday, March 15, to discuss some remaining issues between the two countries since reaching a trade truce agreement in 2025. The meeting will also involve preparations for the upcoming visit of US President at the end of the month. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stated that the US government hopes to maintain a stable relationship with China ahead of the meeting.
Greer and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet with Chinese State Councilor He Lifeng in Paris on Sunday to discuss the lingering issues between the two countries post last year’s trade truce agreement. This two-day meeting aims to prepare for the Trump-Xi Jinping summit expected to be held between March 31 and April 2, outlining specific plans for potential agreements between the two leaders.
According to Greer, the US government seeks to maintain a stable relationship with China before the high-level meeting scheduled for this weekend. In an interview with CNBC on Friday, March 13, he mentioned, “We hope to ensure the stability of US-China relations.”
“We want to ensure continued access to rare earth resources for manufacturing, ensure they continue to buy the products they should be buying from us, and ensure that the leaders of both countries have the chance to meet to steer bilateral relations in the direction we desire.”
Currently, the US and Israel are jointly conducting military operations against Iran. Iran’s attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, aiming to disrupt global oil prices, have led to chaos. Meanwhile, China, through Iran’s Jask Port, bypasses US military surveillance to transport Iranian oil to China. Additionally, China has long been providing Iran with military raw materials and technology. The upcoming Paris talks between the US and China will take place against this unique background.
Although the US and China signed a trade agreement in 2025 covering rare earth exports, tariff adjustments, agricultural product purchases, export controls, among other issues, many tricky problems persist between them such as tariffs, fentanyl smuggling, and the Taiwan issue.
Greer pointed out that compared to a year ago, the economic relationship between the two countries has become “more balanced.” He stated, “In the past year, our trade deficit with China has decreased by 30%. This is a significant change.”
“In January this year, our imports from China were at their lowest level since 2004. Of course, this does not mean we are no longer trading with China. We will certainly continue trading, but the trade situation is becoming more balanced.”