US Treasury secretary says meetings with Chinese have ‘advanced our talks’

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Friday that meetings with his Chinese counterparts this week “advanced our talks”, but stopped short of confirming that US President Donald Trump approved the consensus that Beijing claimed they had reached.

“This week’s negotiations in Stockholm have advanced our talks with China, and I believe that we have the makings of a deal that will benefit both of our great nations,” Bessent wrote on X.

“Thanks to the powerful bond between @POTUS and President Xi, I am optimistic about the path forward,” he added, without specifying where consensus stands following talks that ended on Tuesday.

Since then, the US side is seen taking its time to confirm any new agreement reached with China, its third-largest trading partner, after neighbouring Mexico and Canada.

China’s vice-minister of commerce, Li Chenggang, who also took part in the talks, said before leaving Stockholm on Tuesday that a pause on new tariff increases – in place since May – would be extended, but neither Trump nor Bessent has made similar announcements.

The Trump administration has instead delivered mixed messages.