U.S. and China prepare trade talks ahead of Trump's Beijing visit

With just weeks before a planned U.S.-China summit in Beijing, officials meet for trade talks in Paris as tensions persist over tariffs and fentanyl precursors

Welcome back to What’s Happening in China, your weekly China brief.

With just over 2 weeks to go before Trump lands in Beijing for a three-day U.S.-China summit, Chinese authorities are reportedly frustrated by the way preparations are unfolding. Bloomberg reports that “Chinese officials are dissatisfied with what they consider last-minute planning ahead of Trump’s arrival on March 31” and that the “White House’s lack of communication about Trump’s expectations for the visit has also been an issue for Beijing.”

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng this weekend in Paris for economic and trade talks ahead of the summit.

While the two sides have been trying to maintain a stable relationship ahead of the high-level meeting, tensions remain. On Friday, China’s Commerce Ministry condemned a U.S. probe into excess industrial capacity, with spokesperson Guo Jiakun saying that “We oppose any form of unilateral tarif…