The Chinese and U.S. delegations convened on Saturday morning to discuss trade and economic issues, reported Xinhua.
According to prior information, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are participating on behalf of Washington. Beijing had confirmed that Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng would be in Malaysia from October 24 to 26.
The meeting, agreed upon following a recent video call between the two sides, aims to bring the world’s leading powers closer together, after recent trade tensions and ahead of the expected meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on October 30, according to Washington.
The imposition of new Chinese restrictions on the export of rare earths—a group of metals essential for the technology industry and controlled by China—along with new mutual port tariffs, have contributed to escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Beijing justified the export restrictions on rare earths for national security reasons, while Washington, which has imposed other technological restrictions on China, deemed them “disproportionate.”
In response, the U.S. President threatened to increase tariffs on Chinese products to 100% starting November 1.
This marks the fifth meeting between He, Bessent, and Greer since May, with the last taking place mid-September in Madrid.
The talks in Malaysia’s capital nearly coincide with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders’ meeting, which runs from Sunday to Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur, where Trump is expected to arrive on Sunday for the summit and bilateral meetings.
[Updated at 06:24]
