.jpeg)
US-China Begin High-Stakes Economic Talks in Madrid Amid Rising Tech Tensions
China-US: A new round of economic and trade talks between the US and China has begun in Madrid. Led by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant and Chinese Deputy Prime Minister He Lifeng, the discussion will focus on issues such as trade, security, and TikTok. The purpose of the meeting is to prepare for a possible Trump-Xi meeting in South Korea next month.
On Sunday, a new round of economic and trade talks between China and US officials began in Madrid. This meeting is considered very important amid growing diplomatic contacts between the two countries. The US delegation is led by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant and Trade Representative Jameson Greer, while the Chinese delegation is led by Deputy Prime Minister He Lifeng.
According to US officials, issues related to trade, economic, and national security will be discussed in the talks. In particular, the focus will be on ByteDance Ltd.'s popular app TikTok, which faces a deadline this week for an agreement to continue operating in the US.
Officials believe these talks will pave the way for a possible meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea next month. Wendy Cutler, vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute and a former US negotiator, said it would be difficult to achieve concrete results in such a short time, especially when Xi Jinping believes China's position is strong.
Just before the talks began, China launched two major investigations into the US semiconductor industry. This includes an anti-dumping investigation on US analog IC chips. The move comes at a time when the US recently added 23 more Chinese companies to its entity list. Companies on this list are accused of working against US national security and foreign policy interests.
