China and the United States begin a new round of economic and trade consultations in South Korea, state media and officials report, shortly before US President Donald Trump travels to Beijing for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent lead the delegations, which meet at Incheon International Airport near Seoul. Both sides also have courtesy calls earlier in the day with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. The Seoul talks take place on Wednesday, with Trump scheduled to arrive in Beijing the same day, following leader-level meetings on Thursday and Friday.
The two governments describe the discussions as efforts to address “mutual economic and trade issues” and to finalize trade-related announcements ahead of the summit. Several outlets link the consultations to ongoing negotiations after last year’s tariff truce, while noting broader external pressures including energy-market uncertainties and instability associated with the conflict involving Iran. Reported coverage focuses on the timing of the meetings and the goal of setting the stage for the Trump-Xi talks, with no detailed agreement terms released in the provided reports.
