US officials to meet with Chinese counterparts in Switzerland amid trade war

Top officials with the Trump administration are expected to meet with a high-level Chinese delegation this week in Switzerland, marking the first major talks between the two countries since President Donald Trump ignited a trade war based on tariffs on imports.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and trade representative Jamieson Greer are expected to represent the U.S. as they meet with their Chinese counterparts in Geneva.

"Economic security is national security, and President Donald J. Trump is leading the way both at home and abroad for a stronger, more prosperous America," Bessent said. "I look forward to productive talks as we work towards rebalancing the international economic system towards better serving the interests of the United States."

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The meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday, and during his time in Switzerland, Bessent will meet with Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter.

According to a news release, Bessent will follow up with his recent meeting with Keller-Sutter on the sidelines of the recent World Bank Group (WBG) International Monetary Fund (IMF) Spring Meetings.

Lin Jian, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, confirmed the meeting in a post on X on Tuesday.

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"At the invitation of the government of Switzerland, from May 9 to 12, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council He Lifeng will visit Switzerland. He will hold talks with Swiss leaders and relevant parties," Jian said in the social media post. "During his visit to Switzerland, Vice Premier He, as the Chinese lead person for China-US economic and trade affairs, will have a meeting with the US lead person Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

"From May 12 to 16, Vice Premier He will be in France to co-chair with the French side the 10th China-France High Level Economic and Financial Dialogue," he added.

The meeting comes as the U.S. market worries over the effects of Trump’s tariffs on prices and supply continue to increase.

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Trump announced sweeping global tariffs last month. He slapped a 145% tariff on Chinese imports. Meanwhile, Beijing put a 125% tariff on U.S. imports. However, the country recently waived the tariff on a host of American-made products.

There were already exemptions for some pharmaceuticals, microchips and aircraft engines, but China added an exemption for ethane imports, according to Reuters.

Beijing’s change in messaging regarding the tariffs comes in stark contrast to its April 23 comments during a U.N. Security Council Arria-formula meeting on "The Impact of Unilateralism and Bullying Practices on International Relations." At that meeting, China accused the U.S. of using tariffs to bully the rest of the world.

Fox News Digital's Rachel Wolf and The Associated Press contributed to this report.