White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett gives a TV interview outside of the White House in Washington, U.S., May 9, 2025.
Leah Millis | Reuters
National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett suggested on Sunday that President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping could have a conversation about trade as soon as this week.
Hassett said, however, that a specific date for a conversation between the two leaders has not been set.
“President Trump, we expect, is going to have a wonderful conversation about the trade negotiations this week with President Xi, that’s our expectation,” Hassett said on ABC News’ “This Week.”
He followed up by saying that he’s not sure if it’s been scheduled for a specific date, “but it has been discussed that the two of them will talk about the Geneva agreement, which we’re all very favorably inclined towards.”
The “expectation is that both sides have expressed a willingness to talk,” he added.
“I’d like to also add that people are talking every day,” Hassett said, noting that U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer’s team is talking with their Chinese counterparts “every day trying to move the ball forward on this matter.”
A discussion between Trump and Xi would mark a major step in negotiations between the two nations, weeks after leaders of both countries met in Switzerland and reached a 90-day trade deal.
But tensions escalated last week, after Trump accused China of violating its preliminary trade agreement with the U.S.
“So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!” Trump wrote in a social media post.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump also said that he expected he would likely speak to Xi about the allegations over the trade agreement.
Other Trump administration officials have also criticized China in recent days over slow progress on trade negotiations and suggested that future talks would be coming.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday that China was “just slow-rolling the deal.”
“I think slow-rolling is the right way to say it, and I think Donald Trump is on it,” Lutnick said on “Fox News Sunday.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last week on Fox News that trade talks with China “are a bit stalled.”
“I believe that we will be having more talks with them in the next few weeks,” he said.
