IRIA News

5 minute read

Senior U.S. and Chinese officials began economic and trade talks in Paris on March 15, 2026, in what is widely seen as an important step before a planned meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing later this month.

The talks are being led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is also involved on the American side. The meeting is taking place at the OECD headquarters in Paris and is expected to continue into Monday.

The White House has said Trump is expected to travel to China from March 31 to April 2. Beijing has not publicly confirmed the trip, but Chinese officials have signaled that high-level exchanges are already being prepared.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently called 2026 a “big year” for U.S.-China relations and said the agenda for top-level exchanges was already being discussed.

Although the Paris talks are not expected to produce any dramatic breakthrough, they are important because both governments want to avoid a new collapse in relations before the leaders meet.

Washington is pushing for practical results as the Trump administration wants China to buy more American soybeans, Boeing aircraft, and liquefied natural gas. It is also looking for broader trade rebalancing and wants relief for U.S. industries that still face supply problems linked to Chinese controls on critical materials.

China, meanwhile, wants the U.S. to reduce tariffs and loosen export controls on advanced technology. Beijing is especially concerned about restrictions involving semiconductors and other high-tech sectors.

Both sides are also reviewing the October 2025 understanding reached after the Xi-Trump meeting in Busan, South Korea, which temporarily lowered trade tensions and paused some retaliatory measures. That arrangement included steps involving tariffs, rare earths, and technology-related restrictions.

Trade Tensions

Even as both sides talk about stability, trade tensions remain very much alive. Just days before the Paris meeting, the Trump administration opened new trade investigations into 16 trading partners, including China, under Section 301 of the Trade Act.

These investigations were launched after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling struck down Trump’s earlier global tariffs, forcing the administration to look for new legal ways to impose trade penalties.

Another U.S. investigation targets 60 countries over alleged forced labor practices and could result in import bans on certain goods. China has strongly criticized both moves and says Washington is using pressure tactics even while calling for dialogue.

This is one of the biggest reasons expectations for Paris remain limited. The two sides are talking, but at the same time, they are still preparing for possible new disputes.

Iran War Adds Pressure

The Paris talks are also taking place under the shadow of the war involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran. That conflict has added a major geopolitical layer to an already difficult trade relationship.

Trump has called on countries including China, France, Japan, South Korea, and Britain to help keep the Strait of Hormuz “open and safe” by contributing naval support. The waterway is one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes, and recent fighting has raised fears about global energy supplies and oil prices.

This matters especially for China, which depends heavily on energy flows through the Gulf. Because of that, the Iran conflict is not just a Middle East issue for Beijing. It is also an economic and strategic concern that could affect China’s position in the Paris talks and its broader discussions with Washington.

Analysts assess that the Paris meeting is best understood as a holding operation rather than a turning point. The key question is whether the United States and China can “agree on what is agreed and manage disagreement.”

The goal is not a grand reset. The goal is to stop tensions from spinning out of control before U.S. President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet face to face.

The talks matter even if they produce no major announcement. They are about defining what can still be negotiated, what will remain contested, and what both sides are willing to postpone.

He Lifeng and Scott Bessent have already met several times in cities including Geneva, London, Stockholm, Madrid, and Kuala Lumpur. That pattern shows there is now a regular channel for managing disputes, even when trust remains weak.

The bigger test will come in Beijing at the end of March, assuming Trump’s visit goes ahead as planned. The summit is expected to focus not only on tariffs and trade flows, but also on export controls, rare earths, technology restrictions, and the wider political relationship between the two powers.

The Paris meeting is therefore less about signing a deal and more about making sure the summit itself can happen without being derailed by fresh conflict.

For now, the message from Paris is that Washington and Beijing are still competing, still suspicious of each other, and still willing to apply pressure. But they also appear to understand that neither side wants a full breakdown just before their leaders meet.