USTR’s Greer to Meet Chinese Officials in Madrid for Talks on Trade and TikTok

A senior official from the U.S. Trade Representative’s office said on Saturday that U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Greer will join a new round of talks in Madrid with Chinese officials on Sunday. The discussions will cover trade and other economic issues, including the looming Wednesday deadline for TikTok to divest its U.S. assets.

Greer will meet with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and other top Chinese economic officials alongside U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant.

The last meeting between these officials and China’s top trade negotiator, Li Chenggang, took place in Stockholm in July. At that time, the parties agreed in principle to extend a trade truce by 90 days, significantly reducing retaliatory tariffs and resuming the flow of rare-earth minerals from China to the United States.

President Donald Trump has approved extending the current U.S. tariff rates on Chinese goods—totaling roughly 55%—until November 10.

The Treasury Department stated that the Madrid talks will cover a wide range of trade and economic issues, including national security concerns related to TikTok and joint efforts between the U.S. and China to combat money laundering.

On Friday, Secretary Besant urged Group of Seven (G7) partners to impose “meaningful tariffs” on imports from China and India in order to pressure them to halt Russian oil purchases. The move is aimed at cutting Moscow’s oil revenue and pushing it to engage in peace talks over Ukraine.

G7 finance ministers also said Friday that they discussed various measures to intensify pressure on Moscow, including accelerating discussions on using seized Russian assets to aid Ukraine’s defense.

In a separate statement, Besant and Greer called on G7 allies to support U.S. efforts to impose tariffs on Russian oil buyers.

“Only through a united effort that cuts off Putin’s war machine at its source can we apply sufficient economic pressure to stop this senseless slaughter,” they said.

The U.S. has already imposed a 25% surcharge on Indian goods linked to Russian oil purchases but has so far refrained from applying similar penalties to Chinese goods.

China’s Ministry of Commerce confirmed that the Madrid talks will address U.S. tariffs, the “abuse” of export controls, and economic and trade issues such as TikTok.

Additionally, on Saturday, China launched a new anti-discrimination investigation into U.S. trade policies on semiconductors and initiated inquiries into the dumping of U.S. chips in China’s semiconductor market.