WASHINGTON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Senior U.S. Treasury staff visited China last week "to strengthen channels of communication" between Washington and Beijing, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday.

Officials from the world's two largest economies discussed preparations for the next high-level meeting between Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, Bessent said in a post on X.

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"We look forward to continued constructive engagement between both sides, and to maintain our positive forward momentum over the coming weeks as we approach our next face-to-face engagement," he said in the post.

Treasury had no immediate comment on when Bessent would be meeting with He, or where. Any such meeting would likely occur in coming weeks, helping to lay the groundwork for a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to China in April.

Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer spoke with He by phone in December, and both sides agreed to promote the stable development of bilateral trade and economic ties, China's official Xinhua news agency reported at the time.

Bessent last met with He in Malaysia in October, when both sides discussed a framework agreement under which Beijing agreed to defer export controls on rare earth supplies and Washington dropped a 100% U.S. tariff on Chinese goods.

The U.S. Treasury Secretary has said in recent weeks that China is on track to meet its commitments under a U.S.-China trade agreement, including the purchase of 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans, by the end of February.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/bessent-says-senior-treasury-staff-visited-china-last-week-2026-02-10/