U.S. and China say New York talks set up Trump-Xi meeting and activate trade channel
Published · Updated
What happened
The U.S. Treasury and U.S. Trade Representative held talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York and said the meeting prepared for a Trump-Xi meeting expected this week. The U.S. side said the agenda included trade, AI, and geopolitics, and that the two governments would operationalize a U.S.-China "Board of Trade."
Why it matters
The meeting creates a concrete bilateral channel just before a leader-level engagement and broadens the agenda beyond tariff disputes to AI and geopolitical issues. A standing mechanism can speed follow-on negotiations, but it also raises expectations for deliverables and could expose disagreements quickly if no common text or timetable follows.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York on September 20 and said the talks laid groundwork for a planned Trump-Xi meeting later this week. The U.S. side said trade relations, AI concerns, and geopolitical issues were discussed, and that a previously floated U.S.-China "Board of Trade" would now be operationalized. That moves the contact from summit staging to a named bilateral mechanism that could shape near-term bargaining on tariffs, technology controls, and crisis management.
Watch for
The White House release of a Trump-Xi meeting schedule or readout by 2026-09-24 U.S. Treasury publication of terms, staffing, or first-session timing for the U.S.-China Board of Trade by 2026-09-24 China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement specifying deliverables on trade, AI, or crisis communications after any Trump-Xi meeting USTR notice of follow-on talks, sector working groups, or tariff agenda items within 72 hours
Sources
- 美財長：美方將延長對中關稅休戰 並討論建立AI對話機制 · cna.com.tw
Researched and written by AI from the sources listed, under published rules. How V³ Aware is made