US-China officials to begin trade war talks in Beijing

US and Chinese officials will begin talks on Monday aimed at resolving their damaging trade dispute.

Last year, both countries imposed billions of dollars of tariffs on one another’s goods.

The two-day talks mark the first formal meeting since the pair agreed to refrain from any further tariffs for 90 days.

The meeting comes amid rising concern about the impact of trade tensions on the global economy.

The US delegation will be led by Deputy US Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish.

Ahead of the meeting in Beijing, US President Donald Trump said negotiations between the two sides were going “very well”.

“I think China wants to get it resolved. Their economy’s not doing very well,” he told reporters on Sunday.

“I think that gives them a great incentive to negotiate.”

What’s on the agenda?

Officials from China and the US were expected to cover a range of thorny issues.

The White House said in December the two sides would negotiate “structural changes with respect to forced technology transfer, intellectual property protection, non-tariff barriers, cyber intrusions and cyber theft.”

The US says China’s “unfair” trade practices have contributed to a lofty trade deficit and accuses China of intellectual property theft.

Like other countries in the West, it is also concerned about the risks that Chinese companies pose to their national security.

Many increasingly see the trade war as a battle for global leadership between the world’s two largest economies.

The stakes are high – failure to achieve a deal could see both countries resume taxing one another’s goods.

President Trump has said he is ready to impose tariffs on the remaining $267bn (£209bn) of annual Chinese exports to the US if the two sides fail to agree on a deal within the 90-day truce period.