US Treasury's Bessent, China's He to launch talks on AI, trade, critical minerals

reuters.com

China-US trade talks kick off in Seoul ahead of high-profile leaders’ summit

Trade deals, export controls on critical minerals and the Iran war likely to be talking points as senior officials sit down for negotiations

Published: 11:34am, 13 May 2026 Updated: 11:55am, 13 May 2026

Senior officials from China and the United States have started a new round of trade talks in Seoul, South Korea, hours ahead of US President Donald Trump’s scheduled arrival in Beijing.

The delegations – led by Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent – arrived at Terminal 1 of Incheon Airport around noon on Wednesday Seoul time.

The two officials had both paid courtesy calls to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in the morning.

This is the seventh round of negotiations between He and Bessent since Trump returned to office and launched a global tariff war last year, with the talks setting the stage for the meeting between Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping .