US and Chinese officials hold first meeting of bilateral US-China Board of Trade

US and Chinese officials held the first official meeting of the US-China Board of Trade on Friday, 13 November 2026.

The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced the meeting. The South China Morning Post and Reuters both attributed their reports to the USTR. According to the South China Morning Post, the USTR made the announcement on social media.

On the US side, the USTR held the meeting together with the US Treasury. The South China Morning Post quoted the USTR's post directly: "Today, the Office of the US Trade Representative, alongside the @USTreasury, held the first official US-China Board of Trade meeting with our Chinese counterparts,"

Both outlets cite the USTR as their source. Reuters does not say whether it drew on the same social media post the South China Morning Post quoted. Either way, the core facts come from official US statements.

Background

According to Reuters, President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to form the Board of Trade at their summit in Beijing in May.

According to the South China Morning Post, Trump is set to meet Xi in Shenzhen in the coming days. The reports do not give an exact date or agenda for that meeting.

What each side says

• Office of the US Trade Representative: "The Trump Administration looks forward to continuing our engagement with China," the USTR said in its post, as quoted by the South China Morning Post.
• Chinese government: The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include any statement from the Chinese government or Chinese officials about the meeting.

What is not known

• The reports do not name the participants on either side.
• The reports do not say where the meeting took place or whether it was held in person.
• The reports do not describe the agenda, the topics discussed, or any outcomes or agreements.
• The reports do not describe the Board of Trade's mandate, structure or meeting schedule.
• The reports do not include a separate statement from the US Treasury.

Vocemundi reviewed only short summaries of the South China Morning Post and Reuters reports. The full articles may contain more detail.

Analysis

The meeting gives a formal structure to a commitment that, according to Reuters, was made at the leaders' summit in May. Its significance is hard to judge for now. The reports do not describe an agenda or outcomes, and they include no Chinese account of the talks. One possibility is that the Board becomes a regular channel for handling trade issues. Another is that it stays largely symbolic. The timing, shortly before the reported Trump-Xi meeting in Shenzhen, could point to preparatory work, but the reports do not establish such a link. A Chinese statement or details on the Board's mandate would help clarify its role.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.