Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer held a high-level video call with China's vice premier to prepare for the September visit of its president, Xi Jinping, Axios has learned.Why it matters: The call sets the stage for President Trump and Xi to sign future trade deals between the U.S. and China.Zoom in: The cordial video conference call between Bessent, Grier and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng lasted more than an hour."I emphasized that we expect Beijing to fully meet its commitments on rare earths and U.S. agricultural products," Bessent told Axios in a written statement."We also discussed implementation of the Trade and Investment Boards as a mechanism to secure concrete progress toward a more balanced, fair, and constructive U.S.-China economic relationship."Zoom out: Relations between the two countries have been tense at times as Trump has sought to limit China from obtaining advanced computer microchips as the two countries battle for AI supremacy.Xi threatened to withhold critical minerals needed for advanced computer and weapons technology.At a meeting in Beijing, Trump and Xi appeared to put differences behind them but signed no new deals.But this week, the Trump administration announced plans to ban Chinese robots and power inverters as national security threats.Between the lines: The Iran war has added a new layer of complexity to the relationship between the two men and their countries.China is an Iranian ally and, according to Reuters, plans to sell shoulder-fired missiles to Iran. Trump said he would be "disappointed" if the sale went through.Earlier this month, Trump released once-classified documents indicating China meddled in the 2020 election. He then expressed hesitation about pushing the issue with Xi."They do things and we do things to them. I'll be honest. We do things to them too," Trump told reporters last week. "It's not a one-way street. But we'll be talking to them, yes."