PARIS, France: U.S. and Chinese economic officials were expected to conclude talks in Paris on March 16 to outline potential trade agreements in areas including agriculture, critical minerals, and managed trade, ahead of a possible summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Sources familiar with the discussions said the negotiations, led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, could produce proposals for the two leaders to consider when Trump travels to Beijing later this month.

The sources described the talks as "remarkably stable" and said they were intended to identify possible "deliverables" for a meeting between Trump and Xi.

However, they said the final decisions would rest with the two leaders.

Trump told the Financial Times in an interview published on March 15 that he might delay the planned summit as he presses Beijing to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has closed amid the regional conflict.

"We may delay," he said of the trip. The delegations met for more than six hours on March 15 at the headquarters of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, a group of mostly wealthy democracies that does not include China.

Agriculture Purchases Discussed

During the talks, Chinese officials indicated openness to increasing purchases of U.S. agricultural products, according to one source.

Potential imports could include poultry, beef, and other crops beyond soybeans.

China also remains committed to purchasing 25 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans annually for the next three years under the trade truce reached between Trump and Xi in October 2025, the source said.

Officials from the U.S. Treasury Department and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative declined to comment on details of the negotiations, while Chinese officials left the meetings without speaking to reporters.

In a statement on March 16, China's commerce ministry criticized the United States over a trade investigation involving forced labor, urging Washington to "correct its wrongdoings."

China's state news agency Xinhua said that "meaningful" progress in economic cooperation between the two countries could help restore confidence in the global economy.

The Paris meetings follow several rounds of talks last year aimed at easing tensions between the two countries. Participants included Bessent, He, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, and China's chief trade negotiator Li Chenggang.

Managing Trade and Investment

One topic under discussion is the creation of new mechanisms to manage trade and investment between the world's two largest economies.

Sources said technical discussions on proposals for a U.S.-China "Board of Trade" and "Board of Investment" continued on March 16.

The proposed Board of Trade would focus on identifying sectors where the two countries could expand trade while protecting national security and supply chains.

The Board of Investment, meanwhile, would deal with specific investment disputes between the countries rather than broader policy questions, one source said.

Critical Minerals and Energy

Officials also discussed supply chains for critical minerals and rare earth elements.

U.S. negotiators raised concerns about limited access for American aerospace manufacturers to Chinese-produced yttrium, which is used in jet engine turbines and other technologies.

One source said the two sides had "found some ways to loosen up" tensions over critical minerals but did not provide details.

Greer said in an interview with CNBC before the talks that Washington wanted to ensure access to rare-earth materials essential to U.S. manufacturing.

He also said the United States wanted China to increase purchases of American products. "We want to make sure that we continue to get the rare earths we need for our manufacturing base, that they keep buying the kinds of things they should be buying from us, and that the leaders have a chance to get together and make sure that the relationship is going the way we want it to go."

Sources said U.S. officials also encouraged China to increase purchases of Boeing jetliners and American energy products, including coal, oil, and natural gas.

However, analysts said the chances of major trade breakthroughs remain limited for now, particularly with Washington focused on the war involving Iran. "Given that the leaders may meet up to four times this year, these deliverables maybe can be spread out, rolled out over the year," said Wendy Cutler, a former U.S. trade negotiator who now leads the Asia Society Policy Institute's Washington office.

Potential future meetings could include a visit by Xi to Washington, a China-hosted Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November, and a U.S.-hosted G20 summit in December.