Kuala Lumpur Talks Target U.S.-China Trade Tensions
U.S. and Chinese economic officials meet in Kuala Lumpur to prevent a trade war and ensure a meeting between Presidents Trump and Xi. Talks focus on rare earth minerals after a flare-up of tariffs and export controls. Key discussions target maintaining free-flowing trade before scheduled high-level talks.
Top economic officials from the United States and China are set to convene in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. Their mission: to deescalate trade tensions and ensure the slated meeting between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping proceeds as planned next week.
Central to the discussion is China's firm grip on the global supply of rare earth minerals—a critical component in high-tech manufacturing. This powerful leverage has seen Beijing use its control over these resources as a counter-move to Washington’s newly proposed tariffs on Chinese goods.
The goal in the Malaysian capital is clear: prevent a further spiral of tariffs and restrictions that threaten to unravel the fragile truce established earlier this year. Success in these negotiations could stabilize relations ahead of the anticipated Trump-Xi talks during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in South Korea.
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