Washington Update

The Office of the US Trade Representative on Tuesday issued a Federal Register notice requesting public comment on the planned US-China Board of Trade. The mechanism, a key deliverable of the recent presidential summit in Beijing, aims to identify $30 billion of non-sensitive goods to reduce or eliminate tariffs on.

The United States and China agreed to pursue “constructive strategic stability” during President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing last week, announcing purchase deals and plans for trade and investment boards. Both sides confirmed that President Xi Jinping would visit the White House in September.

Tension is building just a week before Trump’s high-stakes visit to China, and US officials are tempering expectations. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday downplayed deliverables for the summit, set for May 14 to 15, noting only that the United States will “push forward the consensus” reached with China last year.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday advanced all 23 export controls related bills included in its markup, sending a strong message of support for enhanced controls and enforcement. Several bills, including the ADVERSARIES Act and STRIDE Act, passed unanimously, with most others receiving broad, bipartisan support.

This week, the United States and China affirmed that President Donald Trump’s visit to China is expected to go ahead despite mixed signals from the administration over China’s relationship with Iran. Trump on Tuesday met with US Ambassador to China David Perdue in Washington to discuss summit planning, but no details have been shared.

Speaking at the Hudson Institute on Tuesday, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer outlined some of the key anticipated deliverables for President Donald Trump’s visit to China next month. Greer reaffirmed that the United States would push for a board of trade with China to identify non-sensitive sectors for bilateral trade.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will not meet  his Chinese counterparts again ahead of President Donald Trump’s mid-May state visit to China. In an interview on Tuesday, Greer touted progress on agenda-setting for the trip during bilateral talks in Paris early last month, adding that communication was ongoing.

The White House on Wednesday announced that President Donald Trump will visit Beijing from May 14 to 15. The trip was originally scheduled for late this month. According to the announcement, President Xi Jinping will make a “reciprocal visit” to the United States later this year. China has not made its own announcement.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday confirmed that his state visit to China, originally scheduled for the end of March, would be pushed back by “five to six weeks.” China has not confirmed a new timeframe and said it is in communication with the United States on the visit. While the delay means there’s more time to develop deliverables, it also injects uncertainty in the bilateral relationship.

Key details on the agenda and deliverables for President Donald Trump’s trip to China early next month remain unclear as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer prepare to meet with China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng in Paris over Sunday and Monday.