Body

China warned in Paris that the Trump administration’s tariff strategy and related trade investigations could disrupt U.S.-China economic ties, marking the end of high-level talks intended to set the stage for President Donald Trump’s planned trip to Beijing. Li Chenggang, China’s international trade representative, told journalists that the Chinese side raised “serious concern” about trade investigations into manufacturing in foreign countries that Washington launched after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down its earlier tariffs.

Li said the two sides discussed possible extension of tariffs and non-tariff measures and described concerns about the uncertainty created as the United States adjusts its trade measures. Li also said the meeting aimed to support stability in the relationship, adding that both sides agreed to “make efforts to keep the tariffs stable.”

In remarks carried at the end of the meeting, Li said Washington’s investigations could harm what he described as the “hard-won and stable China-U.S. economic and trade relations.” He said, “We are concerned that the possible results of such investigations may interfere with or damage the hard-won and stable China-U.S. economic and trade relations.”

The Paris session also included U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who led the U.S. delegation. Bessent said the talks were “constructive” and said they showed “the stability in the relationship,” adding that “The purpose of these meetings is to prevent any retaliation.”

Bessent and other U.S. officials linked the discussions to preparation for Trump’s trip, which would be the first visit by a U.S. president since 2017 and would occur about two weeks after the Paris talks. The AP reported that Trump’s trip could be delayed, but Li did not address the possibility and did not take questions.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the talks sketched “the general terms of a work plan” for a Trump-Xi meeting so it could generate “potential deliverables.” Greer said the discussions also covered the trade investigations that China said it found concerning.

Greer described the opening of the talks as a preview of how the U.S. was adjusting its trade policy after the Supreme Court decision. He said, “We started these talks, really, by giving them a preview of what we’re doing on U.S. trade policy as we adjust to the Supreme Court,” and added: “Remember: The president’s trade policy hasn’t changed. Our tools may change, and we’re conducting these investigations. We don’t want to prejudge them, and we had a good conversation with our counterparts about that process.”

The meeting unfolded against the backdrop of efforts to repair relations after a tariff war in which import taxes reached triple digits, followed by a later agreement for a one-year truce. The Iran war also emerged as a potential stumbling block as the two governments moved toward higher-level engagement, with Trump linking possible delays of his planned visit to seeking Beijing’s help regarding the Strait of Hormuz and oil prices during the war.

Bessent addressed that linkage at the news conference. He said any postponement “wouldn’t be to pressure China on that issue,” adding: “If the president’s visit is postponed, it would have nothing to do with the Chinese making a commitment to the Straits of Hormuz,” and continued, “The postponement, if it happens, would be because the commander in chief of the United States military believes that he should stay in the United States while this war is being prosecuted.”