Senior officials from the United States and China held high-level talks in New York on September 20, 2026, to lay the groundwork for a planned summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping later in the week.
The discussions were led by:
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng
Also participating were US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and China’s chief trade negotiator Li Chenggang. The talks took place at JPMorgan Chase’s headquarters in New York and lasted several hours.
Bessent described the meeting as “focused, fulsome and constructive” and later called the overall discussions “very successful.” He said the talks were intended to “set the stage” for the leaders’ meeting. Chinese state media characterised the exchanges as candid, in-depth and constructive.
According to officials and reports, the agenda covered several priority areas:
Trade and tariffs: Status of the existing trade truce (set to expire in November) and possible extensions or adjustments.
Critical minerals and rare earths: Ensuring stable supply flows important for manufacturing and technology.
Artificial intelligence: A US proposal for a bilateral AI dialogue, including a notification mechanism for serious AI-related incidents that could raise national security concerns.
Broader economic and strategic relations between the world’s two largest economies.
The preparatory talks aim to produce deliverables or frameworks that Trump and Xi can address or endorse during their summit, expected around September 24 in Washington.
This engagement comes amid ongoing complex US-China relations involving economic interdependence, technology competition and geopolitical tensions. Both sides have indicated interest in managing differences while exploring areas of practical cooperation
No major breakthroughs were announced immediately after the New York meeting, consistent with expectations that the focus remains on preparing the ground for the leaders rather than finalising large new agreements at the official level.