Bessent to Visit Japan and South Korea Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit in Beijing

According to Dawn, on May 10, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that ahead of the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, he will first visit Japan and South Korea, and will then meet with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in Seoul.

Bessent released his itinerary on the social media platform X, saying: “In advance of @POTUS‘ historic summit with President Xi in Beijing, I will depart on Monday for a quick series of meetings in both Japan and South Korea.”

He said: “On Tuesday, I will meet in Tokyo with Prime Minister @takaichi_sanae, Finance Minister @satsukikatayama, and other government and private sector representatives for discussions on the U.S.-Japan economic relationship”

Bessent continued: “On Wednesday, I will stop in Seoul for a discussion with Vice Premier He Lifeng of China, before continuing on to Beijing for the Leaders’ Summit between President Trump and President Xi.”

Bessent emphasized: “Economic security is national security, and I look forward to a productive series of engagements as we work to advance President Trump’s America First Economic Agenda.”

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China’s Ministry of Commerce also stated on Sunday that, by mutual agreement between China and the United States, He Lifeng will visit South Korea from May 12 to 13 for economic and trade consultations with the U.S. side.

Trump is expected to visit China from Thursday, May 14 to Friday May 15 and hold a leaders’ summit with Xi Jinping in Beijing.

In 2025, before Trump and Xi met in Busan, South Korea, Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer also held U.S.-China economic and trade talks with He Lifeng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.