BEIJING; China announced on Thursday that it will hold a new round of trade negotiations with the United States in Malaysia later this month, as both economic powers attempt to ease tensions and prevent a further escalation of their ongoing tariff war.
According to a statement from China’s Ministry of Commerce, “As agreed by both China and the United States, Vice Premier He Lifeng will lead a delegation to Malaysia from October 24 to 27 to hold economic and trade discussions with the United States.”
The announcement follows a series of sharp exchanges between the two countries. Earlier this month, Beijing imposed broad restrictions on its rare earths industry, a move that drew a strong response from Washington. In retaliation, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on Chinese imports.
The dispute has also expanded into maritime trade, with both sides applying new arrival fees to each other’s ships after a US “Section 301” investigation deemed China’s dominance in rare earth exports as “unreasonable.”
Adding to the tensions, Trump recently suggested he might cancel his planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which was expected to take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea beginning October 31.
Despite the mounting strain, Trump has maintained that he is aiming for a “good” trade deal to bring an end to the costly trade war between the two nations.
Thursday’s announcement came shortly after Vice Premier He Lifeng held a phone call with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, during which both sides agreed to resume in-person negotiations. The talks will reportedly focus on key issues affecting the economic and trade relationship between the two countries.
The upcoming trade discussions coincide with President Trump’s visit to Kuala Lumpur for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting from October 26 to 28, signaling the potential for broader diplomatic engagement during his trip.
