China, US hold trade talks in Paris ahead of Trump visit

Top officials from the United States and China have begun a new round of talks in Paris to resolve trade disputes and create a stable atmosphere for an upcoming summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. us Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng are leading the negotiations.

The talks are expected to cover US tariffs, Chinese rare earth exports, American high-tech export controls, and Chinese purchases of US farm goods.

Analysts see little prospect for a breakthrough due to shortened preparation time.

The outcomes will set the stage for President Trump’s trip to China from March 31 to April 2, the first visit by an American President to Beijing in nearly a decade.

The sit-down also marks the first time the two sides have met since the US Supreme Court ruled Trump didn’t have the authority to impose tariffs using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Chinese uncertainty over the US leader’s goals and the impact of the Iran war hangs over the highly anticipated state visit.

Trump’s trip, his first to China in his second term, is aimed at sealing a trade war truce the two leaders shook hands on when they met in South Korea in October.

However, for Beijing, which likes to carefully choreograph such events to avoid any possibility of embarrassment, Trump’s free-wheeling style is proving a challenge.

Reference Sources

1. thesunmy - China, US hold trade talks in Paris ahead of Trump visit
2. apnews - US-China trade talks open in Paris, paving the way for Trump-Xi summit
3. bloomberg - US, China Trade Talks Kick Off in Paris Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
4. aljazeera - US, China hold trade talks in Paris to clear path to Trump-Xi summit
5. hongkongfp - Trump, Xi prepare to meet amidst Iran war, uncertain goals

Trump threatens more strikes on Iran's Kharg Island, pushes allies on Strait of Hormuz

US President Donald Trump has said that he is “not ready” to make a deal with Iran, signalling that any acceptable settlement must go beyond a ceasefire and address Tehran’s nuclear programme.

The conflict has entered its third week, and mediation efforts have stalled, with allies stopping short of backing a new Hormuz mission.

Trump has threatened further strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island oil export Hub and urged allies to send warships to secure the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran vowed to step up its response, and the war showed no sign on Sunday of coming to an end. Energy prices have soared across the world since Iran responded to the new US-Israeli campaign by threatening shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which usually sees passage of 20% of global oil and gas exports to the global market.

In one of his latest missives on social media, Trump complained that he wasn’t getting enough credit for “totally destroying the terrorist regime of Iran, militarily, economically, and otherwise.” He wrote of a war that has crippled the global supply of oil, sharply increased gas prices, cost us taxpayers billions, left thousands dead and wounded, and so far defied Trump’s own “short-term” timetable.

Reference Sources

1. nationthailand - Trump rejects Iran peace push, says nuclear issue must be settled first
2. gmanetwork - Trump threatens more strikes on Iran's Kharg Island, pushes allies on Strait of Hormuz
3. thestarmy - Oil market set for tumultuous week as Kharg attack raises stakes
4. france24 - Iran warns against wider war as Trump asks allies to escort ships
5. latimes - Trump’s war rhetoric is coarse. It’s also heard differently, depending on the audience

Jensen Huang to deliver Nvidia GTC 2026 keynote today

Nvidia's annual GTC conference is set to begin on March 16 in San Jose, California, with CEO Jensen Huang's keynote scheduled for Monday.

The event is Nvidia's flagship annual event, where the chipmaker typically uses the spotlight to announce new products, champion partnerships, and lay out its vision for the future of computing.

Huang's keynote will focus on Nvidia's role in the future of computing and AI.

The broader three-day event is focused on what's coming next for AI across industries. Investors are now comparing their next-generation chips and future growth potential, using the TipRanks' stock comparison tool. Based on the comparison, Nvidia has the higher expected upside, with analysts projecting about 52% potential gains and giving the stock a strong buy rating.

Meanwhile, AMD offers strong potential with about 48% upside, but its moderate buy rating and lower smart score suggest slightly more mixed sentiment compared with Nvidia.

Nvidia's Graphics processing units have been the Hottest-Selling chips for years. Still, the sudden advent of Agentic artificial intelligence has brought on a Renaissance for its more modest host chip, the central processing unit.

Reference Sources

1. markets - NVDA vs. AMD: Which AI Stock is the Smarter Play as the 2026 Chip War Heats Up?
2. cnbc - Nvidia's GTC will mark an AI chip pivot. Here's why the CPU is taking center stage
3. markets - Top Cantor Analyst Is Bullish on Nvidia Stock (NVDA) Ahead of GTC 2026, Says ‘We Are on the Cusp of Regaining Confidence’
4. techcrunch - How to watch Jensen Huang’s Nvidia GTC 2026 keynote
5. cnbc - Here are the 5 big things we're watching in the stock market in the week ahead

The CommonWealth English daily news digest is a service curated by CommonWealth English team with the help of AI tools.  

Have you read?

• U.S. Launches Section 301 Probe Into Taiwan, Other Economies
• Ukraine Builds Drones Without Chinese Parts, Exports Battlefield Expertise
• Taiwan Defense Budget Debate More Complex Than “Pro-China” Narrative

Uploaded by Ian Huang