The call between the two top negotiators on bilateral economic issues came two weeks before US President Donald Trump is expected to visit China for a high-stakes meeting with counterpart Xi Jinping.

It also came in parallel to talks between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

He had "candid, in-depth and constructive exchanges" with Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, especially on "properly addressing their respective concerns in the economic and trade sector," the Xinhua news agency reported.

The Chinese vice premier also expressed his "solemn concern over recent US restrictive measures against China", it said.

Bessent himself called the talks "candid and comprehensive" in a post on X, but added: "China's recent provocative extraterritorial regulations have a chilling effect on global supply chains."

"I look forward to a productive summit between President Trump and President Xi in Beijing," Bessent wrote.

In 2025, Washington and Beijing clashed over trade and tariffs until a truce was declared in October, when Trump and Xi met in South Korea.

Fresh high-level talks were held in mid-March to ease tensions.

But several issues are still grating, including US tariffs and sanctions on some of China's top tech companies.

The White House has said that Trump will visit China on May 14-15. Beijing has yet to confirm the trip or announce the dates.