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US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent held talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Thursday ahead of US President Donald Trump's planned visit to China on May 14 and 15.
Calling his dialogue "candid" and "comprehensive", Bessent said he, in their talks, also conveyed to the Chinese official about Beijing's extraterritorial regulations hurting global supply chains. In a post on X, Bessent said, "This morning, I convened talks with Vice Premier He Lifeng to discuss @POTUS' upcoming travel to China. Our meeting was both candid and comprehensive, and I stressed that China's recent provocative extraterritorial regulations have a chilling effect on global supply chains." https://x.com/secscottbessent/status/2049901834660122825 Bessent also struck an optimistic tone about the upcoming high-level engagement between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. "I look forward to a productive summit between President Trump and President Xi in Beijing," he said. Meanwhile, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday, emphasising the importance of maintaining stability in bilateral relations and preparing for future high-level interactions, referring to US President Donald Trump's upcoming visit to China. According to a statement shared by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on X, during the call, the Chinese Forigen Minister highlighted that head-of-state diplomacy has long served as the cornerstone of China-US relations, noting that under the strategic guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Trump, ties between the two countries have remained broadly stable, benefiting both nations and meeting the expectations of the international community. Wang stressed that both sides should preserve this hard-earned stability by making thorough preparations for the upcoming high-level engagements and called for expanding cooperation while effectively managing differences. He further urged both nations to work toward building a strategic, constructive, and stable relationship grounded in mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation. "The two sides should maintain the hard-earned stability; make good preparations for the important agenda for high-level interactions, expand cooperation and manage differences; and explore the building of a strategic, constructive, and stable China-U.S. relationship so as to achieve mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation," the statement read. Addressing one of the most sensitive issues in bilateral ties, Wang Yi underscored that the Taiwan question remains central to China's core interests and represents the most significant risk to China-US relations. Wang added that such efforts would not only strengthen bilateral ties but also contribute meaningfully to global peace and stability. Trump is set to visit China to meet his Chinese counterpart from May 14 to May 15. The highly anticipated meeting was postponed due to the US military operations in Iran. In a post on Truth Social last month, the US President said, "My meeting with the Highly Respected President of China, President Xi Jinping, which was originally postponed due to our Military operation in Iran, has been rescheduled, and will take place in Beijing on May 14th and 15th." He further added that he will be hosting the Chinese President and his wife for a "reciprocal visit" to Washington late this year. (ANI)
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