He Lifeng heads to Washington to set trade terms before Xi meets Trump

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, Beijing's top trade negotiator, is leading a delegation to the United States from Sept. 19 to 23 for consultations on "economic and trade issues of mutual concern," China's commerce ministry said in a statement carried by Xinhua and reported by TRT World. The visit comes ahead of a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Sept. 24, at which trade issues are expected to take center stage.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is due to meet He over the weekend to discuss economic and trade matters, TRT World reported. The commerce ministry said the talks would be guided by the "important consensus" reached by the two leaders. Washington and Beijing agreed a fragile truce in October 2025, ending months of tariff escalation that began after Trump returned to the White House. That pause eased fears of a full-blown trade war but has yet to yield a comprehensive settlement nearly 12 months on.

Iran on the agenda

Bessent has indicated that Iran may also come up, TRT World reported; Tehran's close economic relationship with Beijing has long irritated Washington. Speaking at a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Sept. 15, in response to a question about the alleged role of Chinese banks in facilitating transactions with Iran, Bessent said: "With China, we have had some very good private discussions, and I look forward to those continuing this weekend when I meet my Chinese counterpart Vice [Premier] He Lifeng," according to the South China Morning Post. The newspaper reported that the agenda would include economic outcomes for the summit as well as artificial intelligence safety and governance.

A new sanctions law in the background

The visit follows the signing on Sept. 18 of U.S. legislation that introduces and expands sanctions, duties and bans against Russia and extends existing sanctions against Iran, TASS reported. A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce said Beijing "consistently opposes unilateral sanctions that lack authorization from the UN and a basis in international law," and that China would "closely follow the US side's subsequent actions and reserve the right to take all necessary measures" to protect its sovereignty, development interests and the lawful rights of Chinese enterprises, according to the Russian state news agency.

The same statement struck a conciliatory note on the bilateral relationship. The spokesperson said Beijing hoped Washington would "work with China in the same direction, maintain the stability of economic and trade relations through dialogue and consultation," and contribute to upholding the world trade order and the security of global industrial and supply chains, TASS reported.

What it means

He's five-day visit is the working session that will determine what Xi and Trump can announce on Sept. 24. Three features of the setup stand out. First, the October 2025 truce has held for close to a year without turning into a deal, so both sides arrive with an incentive to convert a pause into something more durable before the leaders meet. Second, Iran has moved from the margins to the agenda: Bessent's hearing remarks linked the He meeting directly to questions about Chinese banks and Iranian transactions, and the new U.S. law extends Iran sanctions at the same moment it tightens measures on Russia. Third, Beijing's commerce ministry is running two messages in parallel, objecting to unilateral sanctions while asking for stability through consultation, which signals that China wants the summit to proceed on trade terms without conceding on its energy and financial ties with Moscow and Tehran. For Eurasia, the outcome will shape how much room Chinese buyers of Russian and Iranian energy have in the months ahead.