US–China trade talks restart
Top economic officials from the U.S. and China launched a fresh round of trade talks in Paris to clear a path for a Trump‑Xi summit later this month — the agenda zeroes in on tariffs, export controls and rare earths reported. Both sides say they want progress, but analysts warn U.S. distraction over the widening U.S.–Israel–Iran conflict could limit the chance of a breakthrough reported.
Treasury Secretary Scott [Bessent aljazeera.com] met Chinese Vice‑Premier He Lifeng at the OECD headquarters in Paris, with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and China trade negotiator Li Chenggang joining the [delegation cnbc.com]. The Paris talks are explicitly preparatory for President Donald Trump’s state visit to Beijing, scheduled from March 31 to April 2, [2026 bloomberg.com]. Negotiators are re‑examining terms from the October trade truce that trimmed U.S. tariffs and paused China’s rare‑earth export controls for one year, provisions now on the table again in [Paris msn.com]. China’s customs data show exports of the 17 rare‑earth minerals rose 23% year‑on‑year in January–February 2026, reinforcing Beijing’s market position in magnets and battery [inputs msn.com]. The U.S. launched Section 301 trade probes in early March 2026 targeting multiple manufacturing sectors, a move U.S. officials and analysts say is intended to bolster U.S. leverage ahead of the [summit cnbc.com]. Scott Kennedy of the Center for Strategic and International Studies warned negotiators the summit could produce only “superficial” progress, and reporting shows planning for Trump’s trip remained scattershot with final U.S. participant lists still unresolved three weeks before March [31 cnbc.com]. Beijing has publicly signaled it could reimpose rare‑earth curbs or slow purchases of U.S. agricultural goods if Washington expands Section 301 tariffs, a pressure point noted by regional analysts this [month asiatimes.com].
