Key facts
- US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent may skip an Apec finance ministers meeting in Hong Kong.
- Bessent is expected to meet Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng in Shenzhen.
- The meetings are to prepare for President Donald Trump's visit to Shenzhen in November.
- Trump will hold talks with President Xi Jinping during his visit.
- The US and China aim to secure a longer extension of their bilateral trade truce.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent may skip a meeting of Apec finance ministers in Hong Kong later this month to focus on preparing for President Donald Trump’s historic visit to Shenzhen in November, sources told the South China Morning Post. Bessent is expected to meet Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng in Shenzhen ahead of Trump’s visit – when Trump will again hold talks with President Xi Jinping – as the two sides look to secure a longer extension of the bilateral trade truce.