US, China to resume high-stakes trade talks in London

Top US and Chinese officials are set to meet in London on June 9, in a fresh attempt to revive stalled trade negotiations between the world’s two largest economies, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social.

The meeting will bring together US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and USTrade Representative Jamieson Greer with Chinese representatives to discuss the long-contentious trade deal, Caliber.Az reports. 

 “The meeting should go very well,” Trump stated optimistically.

The announcement follows a 90-minute phone call on June 5 between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which Trump described as “encouraging.” The call appeared aimed at resetting a strained dialogue, after weeks of escalating rhetoric and setbacks in the trade process.

Just weeks earlier, trade relations had shown signs of thawing. Talks held on May 12 in Geneva led to a major breakthrough, with both sides agreeing to significantly reduce tariffs that had hampered bilateral trade. 

However, optimism faded quickly. Tensions reignited when Trump accused China of violating the terms of their agreement and failing to lift restrictions on rare earth exports, which is a key sticking point for the US due to its reliance on these materials for electronics manufacturing.

“China TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US,” Trump posted last week, expressing frustration over what he called a broken promise and signaling a tougher stance ahead of the London talks. “So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!”

By Sabina Mammadli