Bessent presses China to implement Busan commitments immediately

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told China's Vice Premier He Lifeng on a call Friday that China must fully and immediately implement its Busan commitments, while He expressed Beijing's serious concern over the latest US sanctions on Chinese companies, according to China's Xinhua account of the same call.

Why it matters: The call keeps implementation pressure on the Busan arrangement at cabinet level days after it was struck, and Beijing's objection to the Cuba-linked sanctions on two Chinese companies shows the friction running alongside it two weeks before the two presidents meet at the APEC summit in Shenzhen.

Data as of US Department of the Treasury press release sb0684, dated November 6, 2026 and read in full when this story was first written; all wording and positions in the original item are the readout's own. Update of November 6, 2026, 23:45 Toronto: Clarin report of November 6, 2026 (in Spanish), by Agencia EFE and read in full via the estate browser route, citing Xinhua, China's state news agency, for He Lifeng's remarks on the call; that account is Beijing's own and is attributed as such, and the sanctions point does not appear in the US readout. Developing item.

Latest: China’s account of the same video call differs in emphasis from Washington’s. Xinhua, cited by Agencia EFE, said He Lifeng conveyed Beijing’s serious concern over the latest US economic restrictions, a reference to the sanctions announced on Thursday against CEIEC and Beijing H&C Technologies over alleged supplies of military equipment to Cuba. EFE reported no specific demand or warning from He, and Xinhua described the exchanges as frank, deep and constructive, with both sides agreeing to make fuller use of the consultation mechanism and to manage differences appropriately ahead of the presidents’ meeting at the APEC summit in Shenzhen in two weeks.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jameison Greer spoke with Vice Premier He Lifeng of China on Friday to discuss the bilateral economic relationship and implementation of the Busan arrangement, the Treasury said in a readout. Both sides reaffirmed the value of maintaining direct and candid communication.

Bessent emphasized the importance of China fully and immediately implementing its commitments made in Busan and raised concerns about recent Chinese actions. He underscored that continued progress depends on concrete results and that the United States will closely assess China’s implementation of the arrangement, and he reiterated the administration’s commitment to trade and economic policies that benefit American workers, farmers and businesses.

Bessent presses China to implement Busan commitments immediately

Sources