Bessent and He will hold talks in Malaysia from Friday (Oct 24), as the world's two largest economies try to ease an unexpected flare-up in trade tensions.
BEIJING: Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng is set to meet US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer from Friday (Oct 24), as the world's two largest economies try to ease an unexpected flare-up in tension ahead of a key leaders' summit.
The commerce ministry said He, China's top economic official, will visit Malaysia from Oct 24 to 27 for an Asean summit it is hosting.
Earlier, the top US trade officials said they would also head to Malaysia to discuss Beijing's curbs on exports of rare earths with Chinese officials.
Tension has roiled US-China trade relations since Beijing dramatically expanded curbs on such exports this month in response to a US hike in the number of firms barred from purchasing American technology.
Until then, ties had appeared to be thawing following a telephone call on Sept 19 between US President Donald Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
That had been preceded by a Madrid summit widely viewed as a success for a breakthrough deal on social media app TikTok.
But officials of the two nations are now scrambling to salvage a planned summit of their leaders in South Korea, which is just a week away, even while trading blame for the spike in tension. - Reuters
