U.S. President Donald Trump’s economic team is preparing for critical negotiations with Chinese officials in Switzerland this weekend. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will lead the American delegation in a renewed push for trade balance and economic stability between the world’s two largest economies.
“I was going to be in Switzerland to negotiate with the Swiss,” Bessent said on Fox News Show The Ingraham Angle. “Turns out, the Chinese team is traveling through Europe and they will be in Switzerland also. So, we will meet on Saturday and Sunday.”
This meeting follows a dramatic escalation in trade tensions. Last month, the U.S. raised tariffs on Chinese imports to 145%. Beijing responded by hiking its own tariffs on American goods to 125%. While allies secured a 90-day reprieve from increased “Liberation Day” tariffs, the U.S.-China standoff has had deeper consequences. Supply chain disruptions led to rising prices in the U.S., while factory shutdowns in China sparked protests in provinces like Hunan and Inner Mongolia over unpaid wages.
“The world has been coming to the U.S. and China has been the missing piece,” Bessent said. He emphasized that the ongoing trade imbalance “isn’t sustainable, as I’ve said before, especially on the Chinese side.”
Greer confirmed that, under President Trump’s guidance, the administration remains committed to forging fair trade deals that prioritize American jobs and security. “At President Trump’s direction, I am negotiating with countries to rebalance our trade relations to achieve reciprocity, open new markets, and protect America’s economic and national security,” Greer said.
Both Bessent and Greer are also scheduled to meet with Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter to strengthen trade ties with Switzerland and bolster U.S. alliances abroad.
Despite economic friction, Bessent reiterated a fundamental goal: “We don’t want to decouple; what we want is fair trade.”
