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12-05-2025
GENEVA: Senior US and Chinese officials met again on Sunday in Geneva, two sources familiar with the situation told media, to resume weekend talks aimed at cooling the trade war that threatens to seriously damage the global economy.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met for about eight hours on Saturday with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in their first face-to-face meeting since the world’s two largest economies imposed tariffs well above 100% on each other’s goods.
Neither side commented on Saturday about the substance of the discussions nor signaled any specific progress towards reducing steep trade barriers as meetings at the residence of Switzerland’s ambassador to the UN concluded but later, US President Donald Trump gave a positive reading of the talks, saying the two sides had negotiated “a total reset … in a friendly, but constructive, manner.”
“A very good meeting today with China, in Switzerland. Many things discussed, much agreed to,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
Trump added; “we want to see, for the good of both China and the US, an opening up of China to American business. GREAT PROGRESS MADE!!!” He did not elaborate on the progress.
The negotiating teams are meeting at the gated UN ambassador’s villa, which has its own private park overlooking Lake Geneva in the leafy suburb of Cologny.
Switzerland was chosen as the location following approaches by Swiss politicians on recent visits to China and the United States.
Earlier, US officials including Bessent and Greer smiled as they left their hotel on the way to the talks, wearing red ties and American flags on their lapels. Bessent declined to speak to reporters.
At the same time, Mercedes vans with tinted windows were seen leaving a hotel where the Chinese delegation was staying on the lakeside as runners preparing for a weekend marathon warmed up in the sunshine.
Washington is seeking to reduce its $295 billion goods trade deficit with Beijing and persuade China to renounce what the United States says is a mercantilist economic model and contribute more to global consumption, a shift that would require politically sensitive domestic reforms.
Beijing has pushed back against what it sees as external interference. It wants Washington to lower tariffs, clarify what it wants China to buy more of, and treat it as an equal on the world stage.
China’s official Xinhua News Agency said in a commentary on Saturday that the United States’ “reckless abuse of tariffs” had destabilized the global economic order, but added that the negotiations represented “a positive and necessary step to resolve disagreements and avert further escalation.”
“Whether the road ahead involves negotiation or confrontation, one thing is clear: China’s determination to safeguard its development interests is unshakable and its stance on maintaining the global economic and trade order remains unwavering,” Xinhua said.
LOW EXPECTATIONS
With distrust running high, both sides have been keen not to appear weak, and economic analysts have low expectations of a breakthrough.
Trump said on Friday that an 80% tariff on Chinese goods “seems right”, suggesting for the first time a specific alternative to the 145% levies he has imposed on Chinese imports. (Int’l News Desk)
