U.S., China hold talks in Paris
- U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and trade chief Jamieson Greer met China’s He Lifeng and Li Chenggang in Paris for fresh trade talks. - The Paris meeting was the sixth round and both sides called it “constructive,” even as Trump keeps pressing tariffs after February’s court loss. - The point now is stability — and maybe a Trump-Xi deal path — not a quick end to the trade fight.
Trade diplomacy is back in Paris, but nobody should mistake that for a reset. The U.S. and China sent their top economic negotiators into another round of talks this week, trying to keep a tariff fight from turning into something broader. The gap is pretty simple — both governments want leverage, neither wants to look weak, and the legal ground under Trump’s tariff strategy got shakier in February. What changed now is that both sides still showed up, talked for hours, and came out calling the meeting constructive. (wncy.com) ### Who was actually in the room? On the U.S. side, the meeting was led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. China sent Vice Premier He Lifeng and chief trade negotiator Li Chenggang. That matters because these are not lower-level officials keeping the lights on — thes(wncy.com)Xi Jinping. (wncy.com) ### Why Paris again? Paris has turned into a neutral working ground for these talks. The March meetings there were described as stable and unusually calm, and they were already being framed as a way to build possible deliverables for a Trump-Xi meeting. So this week’s session looks less like a surprise breakthrou(wncy.com)ile both sides test what the other will give. (cnbc.com) ### What did they talk about? The public readouts are thin, which is normal for this kind of negotiation. But the earlier Paris round gives a pretty good clue about the agenda: agriculture, critical minerals, and forms of managed trade. In plain English, that means the U.S. wants tangible purchases and supply-chain relief, while Chin(cnbc.com)riff pressure. (cnbc.com) ### Why do tariffs still dominate this? Because tariffs are still Trump’s favorite pressure tool, even after the Supreme Court knocked out his broadest version. In Learning Resources v. Trump, decided on February 20, 2026, the Court said the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not let the president impose tariffs that wa(cnbc.com)e to look for narrower legal routes and keep the political pressure on. (supreme.justia.com) ### So did the court ruling weaken Washington? Legally, yes. Politically, not as much as you might think. The ruling took away the cleanest all-purpose tariff weapon, but Trump has kept signaling that tariffs remain central to his China strategy. That leaves negotiators in a weird place — the U.S. has less freedom to improvi(supreme.justia.com)ble. (wncy.com) ### Is this about a bigger Trump-Xi meeting? Probably. The March talks were openly tied to preparing possible deliverables for a leader-level meeting, and other recent reporting has pointed to improving summit prospects after official calls. That does not mean a grand bargain is close. It means both governments s(wncy.com)ute spill into public escalation. (cnbc.com) ### What is the real goal here? Stability, basically. Not trust. Not friendship. Just enough predictability that tariffs, export controls, farm purchases, and supply-chain threats do not keep ricocheting into a wider economic shock. That is a lower bar than a real settlement, but right now it is also the realistic one. (cnbc.com)ine The Paris talks matter because they show the trade war is still being actively managed from the top, even after the courts scrambled one of Washington’s main weapons. The catch is that “constructive” in U.S.-China diplomacy usually means the floor did not collapse. That is useful. But it is not peace. (wncy.com)na/))
