High-level negotiations between the United States and China commenced in Geneva on Saturday, marking their most significant talks since the trade war initiated by Donald Trump, as both nations seek to alleviate tension impacting their two dominant economies.
Demonstrating the importance of these discussions, both nations dispatched top officials to Geneva: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.
China’s state television broadcaster CCTV announced, “High-level economic and trade negotiations between China and the United States have begun in Geneva, Switzerland,” by mid-morning.
Before the meeting, Donald Trump extended an olive branch by proposing to reduce the punitive tariffs he imposed on Chinese goods to 80%.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stated on Fox News, “The President wants to resolve the issue with China. As he mentioned, he hopes to ease the situation.”
However, this gesture remains largely symbolic, as the proposed tariff levels are still not manageable for most Chinese exports to the US.
Since returning to the White House in January, Donald Trump has wielded tariffs as a political tool, enforcing a 145% surcharge on Chinese goods on top of existing tariffs.
In response, Beijing, committed to combating Trump’s surcharges “to the end,” imposed 125% tariffs on American products.
World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala optimistically described the Geneva talks as “a positive and constructive step towards de-escalation” on the eve of the discussions.
