Tensions between US and China might ease over the coming days as the two nations will be meeting in Malaysia for the next round of trade talks.“As agreed by both China and the United States… vice premier He Lifeng will lead a delegation to Malaysia from October 24 to 27 and hold economic and trade talks with the United States,” the Chinese commerce ministry said in a statement.
The announcement comes after Beijing introduced sweeping controls on its vital rare earths industry earlier this month, prompting US President Donald Trump to threaten 100% additional tariffs on Chinese imports in response. Both countries have also imposed arrival fees on each other’s ships, following a US “Section 301” investigation that deemed China’s dominance in the sector unreasonable.Trump later warned he might cancel his expected meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, which was scheduled on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit beginning October 31. Despite the tensions, the US president has emphasised his desire to secure a “good” deal with China and bring the trade war to an end.Thursday’s announcement follows a recent call between Vice Premier He, who has taken a leading role in managing the trade row, and US treasury secretary Scott Bessent, during which the two agreed to fresh in-person talks.The Chinese commerce ministry said the discussions will focus on “important issues in the economic and trade relationship between China and the United States.”The timing of the talks coincides with President Trump’s visit to Kuala Lumpur for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting from October 26 to 28.
