California Governor Warns of ‘Code Red’

U.S.-China Talks to Defuse Trade Row Continue in Geneva

Date: 11 May 2025 - 21:34

News ID: ۱۳۹۴۳۸

GENEVA (Reuters/Xinhua) –
Senior U.S. and Chinese officials met again on Sunday in Geneva, two sources familiar with the situation told Reuters, to resume weekend talks aimed at cooling the trade war that threatens to seriously damage the global economy.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met for about eight hours on Saturday with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in their first face-to-face meeting since the world’s two largest economies imposed tariffs well above 100% on each other’s goods.
Neither side commented on Saturday about the substance of the discussions nor signaled any specific progress towards reducing steep trade barriers as meetings at the residence of Switzerland’s ambassador to the UN concluded.
But later, U.S. President Donald Trump gave a positive reading of the talks, saying the two sides had negotiated “a total reset ... in a friendly, but constructive, manner.”
“A very good meeting today with China, in Switzerland. Many things discussed, much agreed to,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
Trump added: “We want to see, for the good of both China and the U.S., an opening up of China to American business. GREAT PROGRESS MADE!!!” He did not elaborate on the progress.
The negotiating teams are meeting at the gated UN ambassador’s villa, which has its own private park overlooking Lake Geneva in the leafy suburb of Cologny.
Switzerland was chosen as the location following approaches by Swiss politicians on recent visits to China and the United States.
In a recent advertisement, California Governor Gavin Newsom warned the American public of the “real” and “serious” consequences of recent high tariffs, describing the situation as a “code red” economic emergency.
“California is now the fourth-largest economy in the world. Innovation, manufacturing, agriculture. And we’ve done it by reducing trade barriers and delivering for American consumers,” Newsom said in the ad posted online Friday.
“But the Trump administration is putting all of that at risk, halting delivery of essential goods through our ports. Today, it’s school backpacks. In a few months, it’ll be Christmas toys,” he said.
In an interview released on Saturday, Newsom explained that he aired the advertisement on the conservative Fox News channel this weekend, hoping the U.S. administration “understand and absorb the impacts.”
Furthermore, Newsom depicted a more dangerous situation in his interview, saying a “code red” economic emergency had been triggered by the reckless tariff policies, which had already severely impacted California’s major ports.