By Laurie Chen
BEIJING (Reuters) -A high-level delegation of American executives will travel to China this week to meet senior Chinese officials in a trip organised by the U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC), two sources with knowledge of the visit told Reuters on Monday.
The visit coincides with the latest round of U.S.‑China trade negotiations in Sweden, where China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng is meeting U.S. officials from July 27 to July 30 for a new round of economic and trade talks.
The delegation will be led by FedEx Chief Executive Rajesh Subramaniam, the council’s board chair, one of the sources briefed on the trip said.
The South China Morning Post first reported the visit on Sunday, saying that executives from firms including Boeing would be part of the delegation.
Reuters could not confirm other CEO members of the delegation or which Chinese officials they would meet. Boeing declined to comment on the trip and deferred to USCBC.
The U.S. government was not involved in the organisation of the visit, one of the sources said.
The trip comes as Beijing and Washington work towards a summit between the two countries’ leaders later this year, probably around the time of the APEC forum in South Korea October 26 – November 1, sources previously told Reuters.
USCBC did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The business lobby previously organised similar visits to China by American CEO delegations in 2023 and 2024.
The 2024 trip, also led by Subramaniam, included meetings with He and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, where executives discussed issues including market access.
China faces an August 12 deadline to reach a durable deal with the White House or risk higher U.S. tariffs.
U.S. officials are likely to extend the deadline by another 90 days as both sides work towards a more comprehensive deal, sources previously told Reuters.
An extension of that length would prevent further escalation and help create conditions for the potential meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
(Reporting by Laurie Chen; Additional reporting by Sophie Yu; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
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