US-China trade deal: Delegations begin talks in Kuala Lumpur; Trump’s 155% tariff threat looms

China and the United States kicked off their latest round of trade talks in Malaysia on Saturday, as the world’s two largest economies attempt to prevent further escalation of a costly tariff dispute. “The Chinese and US delegations convened on Saturday morning for talks on economic and trade issues,” official Xinhua news agency reported, as cited by AFP.These discussions come as the two nations get embroiled in a new wave tariff tensions.Chinese vice premier He Lifeng is leading a delegation to Malaysia from October 24 to 27 to hold economic and trade talks with the United States, the Chinese commerce ministry had said earlier in a statement.US President Donald Trump had threatened 100% additional tariffs on Chinese imports after Beijing’s introduction of sweeping controls on its vital rare earths industry earlier this month. Both nations have imposed arrival fees on each other’s ships, after a US “Section 301” investigation concluded that China’s dominance in the sector was unreasonable. Trump had also warned he might cancel his anticipated 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 these tensions, the US president has underlined his aim to secure a “good” deal with China and end the trade war. The ministry had earlier 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.