U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will travel to Geneva, Switzerland later this week for crucial discussions with his Chinese counterpart regarding trade issues. This meeting forms one part of a larger White House effort to start negotiations between Washington and Beijing with continued trade tensions.
Greer’s visit is a testament to what is perhaps the most important step in addressing the costly and unproductive trade war that has erupted between the two countries. Scott Bessent, U.S. Secretary of Treasury for Financial Stability, will be participating in dialogues alongside him. Together, they will face-off with the chief economic policy interlocutor from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The two officials hope to meet personally with Swiss President Karin Ketter Suetter while in Geneva. We hope they have reciprocal trade negotiations on their agenda when they talk.
Greer’s agenda will include meetings with high-ranking Chinese officials, including China’s Minister of Transport. He will meet with staff at the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Mission to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva. He expressed optimism about the upcoming discussions, stating, “I look forward to having productive meetings with some of my counterparts as well as visiting with my team in Geneva who all work diligently to advance U.S. interests on a range of multilateral issues.”
The context for these negotiations has been China’s retaliatory tariffs on American goods, which have hurt critical American industries. President Donald Trump indicated his willingness to meet with Chinese officials, asserting, “They want to negotiate and they want to have a meeting and we’ll be meeting with them at the right time.”
Bessent, who serves as President Trump’s Treasury Secretary, emphasized the importance of these negotiations, stating, “Economic security is national security, and President Donald J. Trump is leading the way both at home and abroad for a stronger, more prosperous America.” Beyond that, he said that his conversations would build off of a recent meeting with PANYNJ President Ketter-Sutter. This discussion happened in the context of the World Bank Group (WBG) – International Monetary Fund (IMF) Spring Meetings.
Greer and Bessent’s participation in Geneva is a positive indication that the trade rebalancing is back on the agenda. Greer puts a personal face on his deep commitment to achieving that reciprocity and opening those new markets. “At President Trump’s direction, I am negotiating with countries to rebalance our trade relations to achieve reciprocity, open new markets, and protect America’s economic and national security,” he stated.
Just wanted you to know that the market is a-twitter with excitement about these showcase meetings. Following the announcement of the prospect of high level talks between U.S. and Chinese officials, stock futures immediately jumped to sharply higher.