He Lifeng Holds Trade Talks With Bessent in New York: Trade Truce Extended to January 10
On September 20, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, Beijing's lead negotiator on China-U.S. economic and trade affairs, led a Chinese delegation in all-day talks in Manhattan, New York, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, laying the groundwork for the summit between the two heads of state in Washington. The talks were held at the headquarters of JPMorgan Chase; Li Chenggang, China international trade representative and vice minister of commerce, also took part.
According to the U.S. side's post-meeting briefing, the agenda covered the future of the U.S.-China trade truce — the 'Busan understanding' — which was due to expire on November 10, China's implementation of its rare-earth export commitments, and a communication mechanism on artificial-intelligence safety. Bessent called the engagement 'very successful,' saying the United States had proposed a notification mechanism for SI-related incidents rising to the level of national security and a 'U.S.-China SI dialogue,' and that the two sides had agreed to meet again. Greer said U.S. export controls on advanced SI chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment were not on the agenda.
On September 23, He and Bessent met again in Washington. Bessent announced on Fox News that day that the United States and China had agreed to extend the trade truce, originally set to end on November 10, by two months to January 10, 2027, and did not rule out a larger economic agreement before then. He said the Chinese delegation might announce more in the coming days, including additional purchases of U.S. farm goods.
Greer said the two sides also discussed drawing up lists of goods for tariff reductions under a 'Board of Trade' framework: China's list was expected to cover consumer goods and low-technology products, and the U.S. list energy products, farm goods and possibly medical devices. He added that China was moving forward on a commitment announced in May to purchase 200 Boeing aircraft.
The New York talks were the final face-to-face economic consultations before President Xi Jinping's state visit to the United States. Their results were later reflected in the eight-point consensus from the leaders' summit released by the Chinese side on September 26.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：摩根大通总部大楼（纽约 Park Avenue 270 号），何立峰与贝森特9月20日的会谈在此举行。照片：CrossingLights，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。Photo: 270 Park Avenue, the JPMorgan Chase headquarters in New York, where the September 20 talks were held. By CrossingLights, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
