Chinaus Talks Place Swiss Diplomacy On Centre Stage

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Trade talks to be held in Geneva between China and the US are seen as a diplomatic win for Switzerland that's been increasingly sidelined in international affairs. This content was published on May 9, 2025 - 09:00 8 minutes

From cross-strait relations (political and economic relations between China and Taiwan), the US-China rivalry, Sino-Swiss relations, China and its political structures to adaptive development and technological innovation, I report on foreign affairs and their possible impact on Swiss/Chinese politics, economics and society. A former journalist in Beijing, I am interested in China and its political structures, adaptive development and technological innovation. I studied journalism and communication in China and in Switzerland. Since joining SWI swissinfo in 2015, I have developed a keen interest in international affairs with a focus on China's relations with other countries/blocs and where Switzerland stands.

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On Saturday, representatives of China and the United States will meet in Switzerland to talk tariffs and on how to de-escalate their ongoing trade war.

The negotiating teams led by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and China's economic tsar He LifengExternal link , are expected to discuss reductions to the broader tariffs, Reuters news agency reported. The talks should also cover duties on specific products, export controlsExternal link and Trump's decision to end de minimisExternal link exemptions on low-value imports.

This will mark the first official discussion between the world's two largest economies as they seek to resolve a wave of escalating tit-for-tat tariff hikes, triggered shortly after Trump's inauguration in January, that have rattled global markets.

The talks come also as a win for Swiss diplomacy which has positioned itself as neither pro nor against either economic heavyweight. The US and China are Switzerland's second- and third-largest trading partners, respectively. Since returning to the White House, American President Donald Trump has launched a trade war against the US's main economic rival by imposing new import tariffs of up to 145% on Chinese goods, prompting Beijing to retaliate with tariffs of up to 125% on certain American products.

The talks are viewed by analysts as a starting point for de-escalation and long negotiations to ease trade tensions.

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