US-China Talks Open in Kuala Lumpur on Trade Controls

The United States and China opened high-level trade talks in Kuala Lumpur aimed at averting an escalation of their tariff dispute and paving the way for a planned President Trump–President Xi meeting next week. Delegations led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (with negotiator Li Chenggang also present) focused on contentious measures including Beijing’s new rare-earth export controls and U.S. technology export curbs and an expanded U.S. export blacklist. The talks come amid other disputes over China’s suspension of U.S. soybean purchases and continued purchases of Russian oil, and U.S. officials have threatened steep retaliatory tariffs. Both sides framed the meetings as seeking interim, confidence-building steps rather than a full restoration of pre-dispute terms, gave few public details about outcomes, and analysts said any meaningful deal would require difficult compromises. The talks were held discreetly at Merdeka 118, underscoring their sensitivity.