By Mathew Carr
May 11-13, 2025— Flurry of trade and climate negotiations continue….climate is being downplayed because situation is so serious.
— Press releases from White House, China
May 12
China is pushing in the Americas (Peru) as America seeks Asia influence.
Wang Yi said that Peru is among the first in Latin America to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, and the first Latin American country to sign a package of free trade agreements with China.
China has been Peru’s largest trading partner and export market for 11 consecutive years.
https://www.mfa.gov.cn/eng/wjbzhd/202505/t20250513_11621812.html
May 11
U.S. Announces China Trade Deal in Geneva
[CarrZee: this headline might be misleading so traders beware]
The White House
May 11, 2025
Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent: “I’m happy to report that we made substantial progress between the United States and China in the very important trade talks. First, I want to thank our Swiss host. The Swiss government has been very kind in providing us this wonderful venue, and I think that led to a great deal of productivity we’ve seen. We will be giving details tomorrow, but I can tell you that the talks were productive. We had the vice premier, two vice ministers, who were integrally involved, Ambassador Jamieson, and myself. And I spoke to President Trump, as did Ambassador Jamieson, last night, and he is fully informed of what is going on. So, there will be a complete briefing tomorrow morning.”
U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer: “This was, as the Secretary pointed out, a very constructive two days. It’s important to understand how quickly we were able to come to agreement, which reflects that perhaps the differences were not so large as maybe thought. That being said, there was a lot of groundwork that went into these two days. Just remember why we’re here in the first place — the United States has a massive $1.2 trillion trade deficit, so the President declared a national emergency and imposed tariffs, and we’re confident that the deal we struck with our Chinese partners will help us to work toward resolving that national emergency.”
Grok:
Yes, on May 11, 2025, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng stated that the U.S. and China made “substantial progress” and reached an “important consensus” in trade talks in Geneva. He noted that both sides agreed to establish a trade consultation mechanism, with a joint statement to be issued on May 12.
This aligns with U.S. officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, confirming a deal was reached, though details were to be announced the following day. The White House also announced a “China trade deal” on the same day.
However, given the history of U.S.-China trade tensions and past failures like the Phase One deal, where China did not meet agreed purchase targets, there’s reason to be skeptical about the deal’s impact until specifics are revealed.
