US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is set to meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in France between March 15 and 16, the department said.

"Thanks to the bonds of mutual respect between President Trump and President Xi, the trade and economic dialogue between the United States and China is moving forward," Bessent added in a statement.

The gathering of Bessent and He is widely expected to set the stage for Trump's visit to Beijing, where he is due to meet Xi.

The talks are likely meant to hammer out trade and economic achievements to be announced at the leaders' summit, Fudan University professor Wu Xinbo told AFP.

But they come after a turbulent year in US-China economic ties since Trump returned to the presidency.

Washington and Beijing engaged in an escalating tariffs war in April last year as China pushed back against Trump's sweeping duties against trading partners.

This brought their tariffs on each other's exports to triple-digit levels, forcing trade to a halt before both sides eventually reached a truce.