Day after Trump hints at lowering Beijing tariffs, US-Chinese officials begin Geneva talks to ease trade war: Report

The high-level meeting marks the first direct engagement in weeks, following a sharp escalation in tariffs that pushed import duties above 100% between the world’s two largest economies.

By: Express Web Desk

Updated: May 10, 2025 03:59 PM IST

2 min read

Trump pointed to signs of economic slowdown in China, including data showing the steepest contraction in factory activity since 2023. (AP Photo)

A day after United States President Donald Trump hinted at lowering tariffs on Chinese goods, top US and Chinese officials began talks in Geneva on Saturday in a cautious move toward defusing a trade war that has rocked global markets and supply chains, news agency Reuters reported citing China’s state-owned media.

China’s Vice Premier He Lipeng met with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent early Saturday, with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer also set to join the talks. The high-level meeting marks the first direct engagement in weeks, following a sharp escalation in tariffs that pushed import duties above 100% between the world’s two largest economies.

On Friday, Trump signalled a potential shift in Washington’s trade stance, saying an 80 per cent tariff on Chinese goods “seems right” — the first time he has publicly suggested rolling back the 145 per cent tariffs currently in effect.

The ongoing dispute, combined with Trump’s broader tariff actions targeting other countries, has unsettled global financial markets and stoked fears of a deepening slowdown in global trade.

The location of the talks had been kept under wraps, as per Reuters. However, a witness quoted by the news agency reported seeing over a dozen police vehicles outside a private residence in a Geneva suburb, while Mercedes vans with tinted windows were seen leaving a luxury lakeside hotel where the Chinese delegation was staying.

Earlier in the day, a group of more than a dozen US officials, including Bessent and Greer, were seen departing their hotel, wearing red ties and American flag lapel pins, Reuters reported. Bessent declined to comment on the matter.

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