China and US resume trade talks in Malaysia ahead of Trump–Xi meeting

Senior officials from China and the United States resumed trade negotiations in Malaysia on Sunday, just days before Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are set to meet during Trump’s Asia tour.

The latest discussions, held on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, marked the fifth round of talks between the world’s two largest economies. Previous meetings took place in Geneva, London, Stockholm, and Madrid. The Chinese delegation is led by Vice Premier He Lifeng, while the US team is headed by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told reporters that the negotiations had made progress. “We’re getting to a point where we have something we can present to the leaders for their consideration,” he said. According to Greer, discussions covered extending the current tariff truce, rare earth minerals, and other trade issues.

The talks come amid a temporary suspension of tariffs agreed upon in August, lasting until November 10. This follows several rounds of tariff escalations—Trump had earlier raised duties on Chinese goods to 145 percent before scaling them back, while China imposed tariffs of up to 125 percent on US imports.

Negotiators met for more than five hours on Saturday, with both sides expressing cautious optimism about the upcoming Trump–Xi meeting scheduled for Thursday in South Korea during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

Trump arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday at the start of his three-nation tour of Asia, becoming the third US president to visit Malaysia. He was received by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim before attending bilateral talks and the ASEAN Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. The two leaders also planned to witness the signing of a peace accord between Cambodia and Thailand following recent border clashes.

Speaking aboard Air Force One en route to Malaysia, Trump said he expected a “productive” conversation with Xi. “They have to make concessions—I guess we would, too,” he said. “We’re at 157 percent tariff for them. I don’t think that’s sustainable for them, and they want to get that down, and we want certain things from them.”

Trump’s Asia trip includes stops in Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea. He also said a new trade deal with South Korea is “pretty close to being finalized,” according to Bloomberg News.