Senior U.S. economic officials are set to travel to Switzerland later this week for discussions with Chinese leadership, signaling the first movement toward talks since Washington ramped up tariffs under President Donald Trump.
The Treasury Department and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative disclosed on Tuesday that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will jointly attend a meeting in Geneva on May 8, where they are also scheduled for talks with Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter regarding broader reciprocal trade negotiations.
Bessent said in an interview Tuesday that he was planning on traveling to Switzerland to negotiate with the Swiss and found out that the Chinese team would also be traveling through Europe.
Officials declined to say which party initiated the upcoming meeting, emphasizing instead the ongoing back-channel communications that have persisted in recent months.
The White House, meanwhile, is juggling multiple attempts to secure new trade agreements worldwide after Trump announced a temporary 90-day suspension in April on most so-called reciprocal tariffs—with the notable exception of China, which remains subject to a steep 145% levy.
Despite active discussions, no formal trade pacts have been unveiled since that moratorium was put in place. Speaking at a recent White House press conference, the Treasury Secretary highlighted robust conversations with Japanese counterparts and hinted that an agreement with India could be on the horizon.
The outcome of this week’s talks in Switzerland could set the tone for future U.S.-China economic relations against the backdrop of global market uncertainty and ongoing trade tensions.
