As U.S. President Donald Trump landed in China, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng held roughly three hours of trade talks in South Korea aimed at preparing the summit agenda between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 14-15, with topics including tariffs, semiconductors, rare earths, agriculture, aerospace, energy and the Iran conflict, Reuters reported on May 13. China's Taiwan Affairs Office also warned Washington against U.S. arms sales to Taiwan ahead of the summit, Reuters reported separately on May 13.

The South Korea talks are designed to narrow the summit agenda around achievable trade outcomes. Meanwhile, Beijing is attempting to convert economic leverage into leverage over U.S. Taiwan policy.