US Treasury’s Bessent and China’s He Lifeng meet ahead of Trump-Xi summit
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng began talks on Sept 20 at JPMorgan Chase’s headquarters in New York, with President Donald Trump’s trade official Jamieson Greer also taking part. The talks are a prelude to a planned White House meeting on Sept 24 between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Issues include a possible extension of a trade truce expiring in November, guardrails for artificial intelligence development, rare earths, and US economic pressure on Iran.
Why it matters: This meeting matters because it advances the US-China relations theme, with trade and technology disputes being managed through bilateral talks before a leaders' summit.