According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, Vice Premier He Lifeng will hold talks with US representatives "on mutual economic and trade-related issues" on Tuesday and Wednesday.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed on X that he will meet with He in the South Korean capital Seoul on Wednesday before he continues to Beijing.
The summit between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping is expected to begin on Thursday.
In addition to higher energy prices resulting from the war in Iran, there are many economic issues to discuss between the leaders of the world's two largest economies.
Chinese government subsidies, trade in rare earth metals and AI chips, measures governing access to each other's markets, and conflicts over various trade barriers are some of the points.
After Washington and Beijing imposed mutual import tariffs on each other's exports a year ago, Trump and Xi agreed to a year-long trade truce at their October meeting in South Korea.
Scott Bessent and He Lifeng also met during various customs talks in Europe last year.
