Beijing (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – China announced on Thursday that it will conduct the next round of trade negotiations with the United States in Malaysia, as the two largest economies aim to prevent the situation from worsening into a costly tariff escalation.
“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,”
Beijing’s commerce ministry said in a statement. Malaysia is hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit from Sunday to Tuesday.
How is the US approaching dialogue under Treasury Secretary Bessent?
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also announced Wednesday that Washington and Beijing will participate in two days of trade negotiations this weekend in Malaysia. On Saturday and Sunday, Bessent will meet with his Chinese counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng.
Bessent hopes that the parties will resolve their issues this weekend, allowing Trump and Xi Jinping to start their talks on a more positive note.
“They are in frequent contact; it would be a shame to waste their first in-person meeting during President Trump’s second term, trying to get past some problems rather than moving towards a more constructive dialogue between the US and China,”
he stated
This month, Beijing announced extensive regulations on the vital rare earths industry, leading US President Donald Trump to threaten a total tariff of 100 per cent on imports from China in retaliation.
What did Trump say about meeting with Xi?
Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that he expects to reach agreements with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting in South Korea next week, Reuters reported. These agreements could include resuming soybean purchases by Beijing or implementing limits on nuclear activities or weapons.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he intended to discuss China’s acquisitions of Russian oil and ways to halt Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, now in its third year. “I think we’ll make a deal,” Trump told reporters during a gathering with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that he believed Xi had changed his perspective on the Ukraine war and would be open to discussions about ending it.
