Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will finally start negotiating with Chinese counterparts. But business leaders shouldn’t expect any sudden breakthroughs.

As he proposes ever stiffer tariffs, President Trump has normalized his merely big ones.

Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, and Jamieson Greer, the United States trade representative, will discuss trade and economic matters with the officials this week.

The two countries signed a deal three years after negotiations began to strengthen alliances in what the British prime minister called a “new era” of trade.

“Trade should not be a weapon,” he said at Berkshire’s annual shareholders’ meeting. Investors had been awaiting his comments on trade, given the conglomerate’s status as an economic bellwether.

If the two-time MVP hits the market, a few deals are conversation starters. But are they enough to get the job done?