UN Hopes China-U.S. Trade Talks in Switzerland Will Normalize Relations

The United Nations expressed hope that upcoming talks between China and the United States in Switzerland will help normalize their trade relationship, a UN spokesperson said Thursday. “We just hope that these talks will help the United States and China move towards a more normalized relationship regarding their trade relations. As the secretary general made clear, there can be no winners in a trade war,” said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, at a daily briefing.

Haq emphasized that the UN chief is particularly concerned about how a global trade war could impact developing countries. “So any effort to avoid that would be welcome,” he added.

He Lifeng, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, will visit Switzerland from May 9 to 12. During his visit, He, acting as the Chinese lead person for China-U.S. economic and trade affairs, will meet with the U.S. lead person Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on Wednesday.