PARIS/BEIJING, March 3 (Yonhap/Reuters-style) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, the two countries’ top economic policymakers, are expected to meet in Paris next weekend to fine-tune the agenda for an upcoming U.S.-China leaders’ summit, according to people familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg.
The sources said the schedule and venue of the talks remain subject to change, but described the planned encounter as part of ongoing preparations for President Donald Trump’s visit to China later this month to meet President Xi Jinping. The White House has said Trump will travel to China from March 31 to May 2.
Possible agenda items include a Chinese commitment to purchase Boeing aircraft, additional imports of U.S. soybeans and discussion of the Taiwan issue, the people said. The future of U.S. tariffs linked to fentanyl, which the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled illegal, is also expected to be raised. The Trump administration last year imposed duties on certain Chinese goods, citing the spread of fentanyl in the United States.
Bloomberg said the decision to press ahead with the economic talks signals that planning for the leaders’ summit is continuing largely as scheduled, despite a joint U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran that has sharply heightened regional tensions.
China, which maintains close ties with Tehran, has publicly condemned the operation. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the “act of killing the leader of a sovereign nation and inciting regime change is unacceptable,” in one of Beijing’s strongest recent criticisms of U.S. military action.
A person briefed on the preparations said the Besant–He meeting is being handled on a separate track from other geopolitical disputes between Washington and Beijing, underscoring both sides’ interest in preserving a channel for economic dialogue even as strategic frictions persist.
Besant and He have met repeatedly over the past year in European and Asian cities — including Geneva, London, Stockholm, Madrid and Kuala Lumpur — to shape the framework for leader-level talks. Their previous consultations fed into the U.S.-China summit held at South Korea’s Gimhae Airport in late October, where Trump and Xi sought to stabilize ties after a period of escalating tensions over trade, technology and security.
Further details on the Paris meeting, including its exact date, venue and duration, have not been officially announced by either government. Officials in both capitals have so far declined public comment on the working agenda, stressing that planning for the leaders’ summit is still under way.
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