US-China trade officials raise concerns before APEC

US and Chinese trade officials raised concerns about each other's recent trade measures in a Friday call ahead of an Asia-Pacific summit in China where Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are due to meet.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer spoke with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng about economic and trade commitments made over the past year, both governments said.

The US Treasury Department said the American officials stressed the importance of China “fully and immediately” implementing its commitments and raised concerns about recent Chinese actions. It said Bessent told He that continued progress depended on concrete results and that the United States would closely assess China's implementation.

Chinese state media, in a report shared by Beijing's commerce ministry, said He expressed serious concerns over recent US economic and trade restrictive measures. The report did not specify which measures he meant, and described the talks as frank, in-depth and constructive.

The Treasury statement referred to commitments made after an October 2025 meeting between Trump and Xi in Busan, South Korea, on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. The accord required China to buy US soybeans this year and through 2028. China also agreed to suspend new export controls on rare earths and issue general licences for exports of the materials.

The Busan agreement initially covered one year, but the two sides extended the trade ceasefire through January 10, 2027, during Xi's September visit to the White House.

China is hosting this year's APEC gathering from November 18 to 19 in Shenzhen. Beijing's foreign ministry said this week it was in contact with Washington and Moscow about a possible trilateral meeting involving Trump, Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

China's commerce ministry said both sides agreed during the call to properly manage differences and promote a stable trade relationship. In a separate statement, the ministry said China firmly opposed new US sanctions targeting Cuba that affected two Chinese companies, saying Washington's sanctions escalation ran counter to the consensus reached by Trump and Xi.

Trade experts have said one main source of friction is the level of Chinese rare-earth exports, which are needed to make smartphones, cars and military equipment.