Indo-Pacific — 2026-07-31

Bessent and Greer Hold Video Call With Chinese Vice Premier to Prepare Xi September Visit

BLUFBessent's public demand for full Chinese compliance converts the September summit from a diplomatic milestone into a conditional reward, giving Washington an enforcement tool but Beijing a cancellation pretext.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer held a video call lasting more than an hour on Thursday with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, Beijing's lead official on U.S.-China economic affairs, to discuss implementation ahead of Xi Jinping's planned September visit 12. China's readout, carried by Xinhua, said Beijing raised "serious concern" over recent U.S. trade restrictions, and both outlets characterized the exchange as "candid, in-depth and constructive," focused on carrying out commitments reached at the earlier Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing 34. Bessent said he told He Lifeng that Beijing must "fully meet its commitments on rare earths and U.S. agricultural products," and both sides discussed using the Trade and Investment Boards to advance a "more balanced, fair, and constructive" economic relationship 14. A source familiar with the talks told Axios that China has "adopted or relied upon measures that create new risks for U.S. firms" and has continued to escalate despite repeated U.S. objections 1.

Analysis
Bessent's public demand that Beijing "fully meet" prior rare-earth and agricultural commitments treats the Trade and Investment Boards as an enforcement mechanism rather than a renegotiation venue, while Beijing's parallel complaint about new US export restrictions signals intent to extract reciprocal concessions before Xi travels to Washington. Wire reporting anchors the exchange, but Axios's independent sourcing, a direct Bessent statement plus a source familiar with the talks describing continued Chinese risk-creating measures, corroborates rather than merely echoes it. Talks have moved from acceptance-in-principle to implementation detail, superseding Beijing's looser May-era "autumn" framing. Moderate confidence in continued diplomatic momentum rests on active working-level engagement, tempered by the absence of a confirmed September date. The dueling public statements may equally reflect each side staking out negotiating leverage rather than genuine convergence, with unresolved friction over export controls and Iran giving both governments room to slow-walk preparations up to the visit.

4 sources

Bessent sets stage for Xi visit in high-level China talk - Axios
Chinese vice premier holds video call with U.S. treasury secretary, trade representative - Xinhua
China Raises 'Serious Concern' Over US Trade Measures in Call With Bessent - Bloomberg
China voices 'serious concern' over new US curbs in trade talks between Bessent and He - South China Morning Post