Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Top economic officials from the United\nStates and China are scheduled to begin a new round of trade talks in\nParis on Sunday, 15 March 2026, to address several obstacles in the\ntrade ceasefire between the two nations.<\/p>\n
According to Reuters, the meeting is also expected to clear the way\nfor a visit by US President Donald Trump to Beijing to meet Chinese\nPresident Xi Jinping in late March.<\/p>\n
The discussions will be led by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent\nand Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. The agenda is expected to include US\ntariff changes, China\u2019s supply of rare earth minerals to American\nbuyers, US high-technology export controls, and Chinese purchases of\nAmerican agricultural products.<\/p>\n
Both sides will meet at the headquarters of the Organisation for\nEconomic Co-operation and Development in Paris. Sources aware of the\nplans note that China is not a member of the 38-nation organisation of\nadvanced democracies and still considers itself a developing\ncountry.<\/p>\n
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer is also scheduled to\nparticipate in the discussions. This meeting continues a series of\ndiscussions across various European cities last year aimed at easing\ntrade tensions between the world\u2019s two largest economies.<\/p>\n
Several US trade analysts assess that the chances of major\nbreakthroughs in the near term are relatively limited. This is because\nof the short preparation time and Washington\u2019s attention being diverted\nby conflicts involving the US, Israel, and Iran.<\/p>\n
Scott Kennedy, an expert on Chinese economics at the Center for\nStrategic and International Studies, said both sides are likely to\ntarget only minimal results from the meeting. According to him, the\nprimary goal at this time is to keep dialogue ongoing to prevent new\nescalations in tension.<\/p>\n
Kennedy believes Trump is likely to want to return from Beijing with\nmajor commitments from China to purchase new aircraft from Boeing and\nincrease purchases of US liquefied natural gas and soya beans. However,\nto obtain such commitments, Washington would likely have to offer\nconcessions regarding high-technology export restrictions.<\/p>\n
He added that the summit is likely to produce only superficial\nprogress without significant change from conditions over the past four\nmonths. Nevertheless, Trump and Xi have the potential to meet several\nmore times this year, including at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation\nsummit hosted by China in November and the Group of Twenty summit to be\nheld in the US in December.<\/p>\n
The conflict between the US and Israel against Iran is also expected\nto be a topic of discussion at the Paris meeting. This issue is related\nto rising global oil prices and the potential closure of the Strait of\nHormuz, a route through which approximately 45% of China\u2019s oil imports\npass.<\/p>\n
On Thursday evening, Bessent announced a 30-day sanction relief to\nallow the sale of stranded Russian oil on tankers at sea to increase\nglobal supplies. Meanwhile, on Saturday, Trump urged other nations to\nhelp protect shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz after Washington\nattacked Iranian military targets on Kharg Island.<\/p>\n
China\u2019s state media, Xinhua News Agency, assessed that meaningful\nprogress in economic cooperation between the two nations could help\nrestore confidence in an increasingly fragile global economy. However,\nthe success of the talks will greatly depend on Washington\u2019s approach in\nthe negotiation process.<\/p>\n
In this meeting, both sides will also review the implementation of\nthe trade ceasefire agreed in October 2025 in Busan, South Korea, by\nTrump and Xi. The agreement reduced US import tariffs on Chinese goods\nand postponed for one year Beijing\u2019s restrictions on rare earth mineral\nexports.<\/p>\n
China also committed to purchasing 12 million metric tonnes of US\nsoya beans in the 2025 marketing year and 25 million tonnes in the 2026\nseason beginning after the autumn harvest. US officials stated that\nChina has so far fulfilled its initial commitments under the agreement,\nparticularly regarding soya bean purchases.<\/p>\n
However, several US industrial sectors still face shortages of rare\nearth minerals from China, which controls much of global production. US\naerospace and semiconductor companies are reported to be experiencing\nshortages of essential materials such as yttrium, used in heat-resistant\ncoatings for jet engines.<\/p>\n
Additionally, Greer and Bessent are bringing a new issue to the\nnegotiation table in the form of a \u201cSection 301\u201d investigation into\nunfair trade practices targeting China and 15 other trading partners.\nThe investigation could trigger a new round of tariffs within the coming\nmonths.<\/p>\n
Greer also launched a separate investigation concerning alleged\nforced labour practices in 60 countries including China, with the\npotential to ban certain imports into the US. This step aims to rebuild\ntariff pressure from the Trump administration after the US Supreme Court\ninvalidated previous global tariffs.<\/p>\n
China condemned the investigation on Friday and stated it has the\nright to take retaliatory measures. China\u2019s state media China Daily\ncharacterised the investigation as a unilateral action that complicates\nthe trade negotiation process between the two nations.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/us-and-china-to-hold-surprise-trade-talks-in-paris-amid-middle-east-tensions-1773586276", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }