Trade war: China-US talks to resume

Chinese and US negotiators are set to resume trade talks in Washington amid the threat of fresh tariffs and warnings over the global economy. President Trump says he will raise tariffs on $200bn of Chinese goods on Friday with his officials accusing China of reneging on promises. China has said it will respond with “necessary […]

Chinese and US negotiators are set to resume trade talks in Washington amid the threat of fresh tariffs and warnings over the global economy.

President Trump says he will raise tariffs on $200bn of Chinese goods on Friday with his officials accusing China of reneging on promises.

China has said it will respond with “necessary countermeasures”.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said the row poses a “threat to the global economy”.

“As we have said before, everybody loses in a protracted trade conflict,” the body which aims to ensure global financial stability said in a statement, calling for a “speedy resolution”.

The two sides had appeared to be making progress until recently but uncertainty now surrounds whether the talks will succeed.

Negotiations are scheduled for around 17:00 local time (21:00) GMT with the new US tariffs set to begin just seven hours later.

President Trump has also said he received a “beautiful letter” from Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and that they would probably speak soon.