Bessent meets with Chinese counterpart ahead of Trump-Xi summit

September 20, 2026 / 2:51 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Sunday, ahead of the planned summit between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping this week.

"In New York City, Vice Premier He Lifeng and I are continuing our discussions on the U.S.-China economic and trade relationship ahead of @POTUS' historic summit with President Xi in Washington," Bessent said in a post on X. "These talks help lay the groundwork for President Trump to advance America's economic interests and deliver results for the American people."

Bessent and He, who oversees China's economy, are meeting at JPMorgan Chase's headquarters in Manhattan on Sunday for the talks, which are expected to set the table for the two presidents' highly anticipated meeting later this week. U.S. Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer was also expected to join the talks. In a statement ahead of the meeting, Greer said the U.S. and China are "deepening their engagement to facilitate mutually beneficial trade between the two largest economies in the world."

"The Trump administration will continue to pursue balanced trade with China by monitoring the implementation of recent commitments, optimizing trade in…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/moneywatch/