US, China seek to extend trade truce with London talks
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will lead the US delegation, President Donald Trump announced Friday.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng -- who led Beijing's negotiating team in Geneva -- will also lead the team in London, the foreign ministry announced at the weekend.
"The meeting should go very well," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
His press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, told Fox News on Sunday: "We want China and the United States to continue moving forward with the agreement that was struck in Geneva."
While the government of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated that it was not involved in the content of the discussions in any way, a spokesperson said: "We are a nation that champions free trade."
UK authorities "have always been clear that a trade war is in nobody's interests, so we welcome these talks," the spokesperson added.
'Correcting the course'
The talks in London come just a few days after Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping finally held their first publicly announced telephone talks since the Republican returned to the White House.
Trump said that call, which took place on Thursday, had reached a "very positive conclusion."
Xi was quoted by state-run news agency Xinhua as saying that "correcting the course of the big ship of Sino-US relations requires us to steer well and set the direction."
The call came after tensions between the world's two biggest economies had soared, with Trump accusing Beijing of violating a tariff de-escalation deal reached in Geneva in mid-May.
"We need China to comply with their side of the deal. And so that's what the trade team will be discussing tomorrow," Leavitt said Sunday.
In April, Trump introduced sweeping worldwide tariffs that targeted China most heavily.
At one point the United States hit China with additional levies of 145 percent on its goods as both sides engaged in tit-for-tat escalation. China's countermeasures on US goods reached 125 percent.
Then in Switzerland, after two days of talks, the two sides agreed to slash their staggeringly high tariffs for 90 days.
But differences have persisted, including over China's restrictions on the export of rare earth minerals used in tech products.
'Green channel'
Throughout its talks with Washington, China also has launched discussions with other trading partners -- including Japan and South Korea -- in a bid to build a united front to counter Trump's tariffs.
On Thursday, Beijing turned to Canada, with the two sides agreeing to regularize their channels of communication after a period of strained ties.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese Premier Li Qiang also discussed trade and the fentanyl crisis, Ottawa said.
Beijing proposed establishing a "green channel" to ease the export of rare earths to the European Union, and fast-tracking approval of some export licenses.
That proposal from the commerce ministry in Beijing came after talks on Tuesday between China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
Ukraine's Zelensky hopes to push Trump on US Russia sanctions at G7
In two rounds of negotiations in Istanbul, Moscow and Kyiv have so far only agreed large-scale prisoner exchanges, with Russia rejecting calls to halt its three-year invasion. Trump has urged both sides to strike a peace deal and shown increasing frustration with both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin for not having found a way to end the war. He has at times threatened new sanctions on Russia, which has ramped up its aerial attacks during the talks, but has so far failed to follow through. "I count on having a conversation" with Trump at the G7, Zelensky said at a press conference in Kyiv. "This sanctions package is very important... the final decision is still in the White House, it depends on the President of the United States," he added. US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, is pushing what he calls a bipartisan "bone-breaking" bill to introduce a 500-percent tariff on countries buying Russian oil and gas, mostly targeting China and India. 'Appeasement' Tens of thousands have been killed since Russia invaded in February 2022, with millions forced to flee their homes as towns and cities across eastern Ukraine have been flattened by heavy bombardments. Trump's return to the White House has upended the West's vital aid for Kyiv. Europe has been left scrambling to see how it could fill any gap if he decides to pull US military, financial and intelligence support. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius appeared to deliver a blow to those plans during a visit to Kyiv on Thursday. Speaking alongside Zelensky, he said Berlin was not planning to deliver Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine. "Asked whether we are considering this, my answer is no," he told a reporter of the possibility of sending the missiles, which could allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory. Instead, Pistorius announced 1.9 billion euros ($2.2 billion) in additional military aid. The setback came just after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga told a security conference in Rome that the "diplomacy of appeasement does not work with Russia" -- a veiled reference to Trump's soft approach towards Putin. "We want to end this war this year," he said. Russia has been advancing on the battlefield for months and launched record drone strikes at Ukraine in recent days. Two civilians were killed in the frontline Donetsk region in a drone strike on Thursday, Ukrainian officials said. Kyiv has responded to Russian bombardments with its own wave of drone strikes. In Russia's Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, a two-year-old child was killed following one such attack, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram. POW swap The warring sides completed the latest stage of a prisoner swap on Thursday, freeing wounded soldiers in line with a deal struck at talks in Istanbul. "Today, warriors of our Armed Forces, National Guard, and Border Guard Service are back home," Zelensky said on social media. The two sides agreed to each free more than 1,000 prisoners of war -- all wounded or under the age of 25 -- and return the bodies of killed soldiers. Zelensky published pictures of the Ukrainian servicemen, all with freshly shaved heads, draped in national flags and smiling as they made phone calls and hugged people welcoming them at the border. "They all require medical treatment," as they were "severely wounded and seriously ill", Zelensky added. At the exchange, AFP reporters saw dozens of people -- mostly women -- waiting with pictures of their captured or missing relatives, hoping the freed soldiers could offer news about them. Russian state media showed Moscow's returned troops in uniforms chanting "Russia, Russia" with national flags around their shoulders. Russia later accused Ukraine of not being "ready to conduct exchanges" on a daily basis, as it said the two sides had agreed at the Istanbul talks.
France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
The most eye-catching products at Paris's Vivatech trade fair
Here are some of the highlights of this year's show gathered by AFP on the scene: - Anti-counterfeiting AI - For humans, spotting the difference between a Lacoste polo shirt and a fake sporting the brand's crocodile logo can be tricky. But French startup Vrai AI believes its artificial intelligence model can tell the two apart based on a simple photo. "AI can detect micro-mistakes" made by counterfeit manufacturers of products like off-the-rack clothes, banknotes or even anti-malarial medications, co-founder Hugo Garcia-Cotte tells AFP. "It's more reliable than humans," he adds. Lacoste has been testing the AI model since November, with customs services in countries like Cameroon and Senegal also taking an interest. Robotic telemedicine Scooting around on castor wheels, column-shaped robots from Hong Kong firm Robocore can serve as mobile advertising billboards -- but for now are mostly deployed for medical purposes in hospitals and retirement homes. "We are in about 200 elderly homes in the United States, 1,000 elderly homes in Hong Kong, and we are in a lot of hospitals as well," boss Long Hei Roy Lim tells AFP. The robots, each a few feet high, use AI to navigate environments autonomously, including taking the lift. They can also analyse patients' medical data and have conversations powered by chatbots from American developer OpenAI or Chinese competitor DeepSeek. Robocore says its robots can save time for health workers, whose workload is cut to simply checking up on what the robots have distributed to patients -- hopefully limiting the impact of doctor shortages. With 50,000 units deployed across 33 countries, Robocore was hoping to expand into new markets thanks to its attendance at Vivatech. Nimble electric vehicles At just 79 centimetres (two and half feet) wide and 2.4 metres (seven and a half feet) long, French startup Aemotion's four-wheeled electric vehicle is designed to weave through traffic, saving commuters time spent in jams. Built in central France, the black transport that's not quite a motor scooter nor really a car is fully enclosed and can carry two people at up to 115 kilometres per hour (70 mph). "We aim to sell 5,000 of these a year within five years," company chief Alexandre Lagrange told AFP at the company's stand, where he is showing off the third version of Aeomotion's prototype. Pre-orders are already open for the vehicle, with the company aiming to get road licensing early next year, with a price tag of 20,000 euros ($23,000). The first drivers will get their hands on one in late 2026 or early 2027, co-founder Alain Dublin said. Smart shoes Imagine being guided on a walk around busy city streets not by brightly-coloured signs and traffic lights, but by vibrations in your feet. That's the promise of Japanese start-up Ashirase, which has developed a vibrating tool that slips into shoes aimed at making life easier for visually impaired people. 'We use AI for accurate positioning, by mixing the sensor data from the Ashirase device and location data from (a) smartphone,' development chief Ryohei Tokuda said. Users simply have to select a destination in the accompanying app and the buzzing inserts will let them know when to turn. Backed by carmaker Honda, Ashirase's smart shoe upgrades are already on sale in Japan. It hopes to bring them to Europe starting with a launch in Germany in September.
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
UN to vote on calling for Gaza ceasefire
Like the text blocked by Washington to protect its Israeli allies, the draft resolution before the General Assembly calls for "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire." It also demands "the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages" seized during the unprecedented Hamas attack inside Israel on October 7, 2023 that sparked the war in Gaza. But the text submitted to a vote in the 193-member General Assembly -- the majority of which traditionally supports the Palestinians -- goes further than the thwarted Security Council resolution by taking direct aim at Israel. It "demands that Israel, the occupying Power, immediately end the blockade... and ensure that aid reaches the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip," which after more than 20 months of war is facing a catastrophic humanitarian situation. The text goes on to "strongly (condemn) any use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare and the unlawful denial of humanitarian access." 'Accountability' Israel is facing mounting pressure to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, where according to the UN the entire population is at risk of famine. Israel recently ended a total blockade to allow some deliveries to resume through the newly formed, US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution centers. The United Nations, which until now has sought to coordinate aid deliveries throughout Gaza, refuses to work with the GHF, citing concerns over its practices and neutrality. Dozens of people have been killed near GHF distribution points since late May, according to Gaza's civil defense agency. It said Israeli forces killed 31 people waiting for aid early on Wednesday. GHF blamed the Palestinian militant group Hamas for the deaths of at least eight of its staff in Gaza late Wednesday. The draft resolution before the General Assembly "stresses the need for accountability in order to ensure Israel's respect of international law obligations." It "calls upon all Member States to individually and collectively take all measures necessary... to ensure compliance by Israel with its obligations." However, it stopped short of explicitly calling for sanctions. 'Mad march' This request echoed a call by Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour, who in the absence of Security Council action urged all countries last week to take "immediate and real measures" to force Israel "to stop the mad march it is embarked on." With the vote taking place just days before an international conference at the UN on the Palestinian issue, the text also reiterates the Assembly's "unwavering commitment to the two-State solution... where two democratic States, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace and security." It was a UN General Assembly resolution in 1947 that divided British-ruled Palestine into two states -- one Arab and one Jewish. But only the creation of Israel was proclaimed on May 14, 1948. This triggered a war between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Over the decades, the UN body has expressed its strong support for the Palestinians in the face of the continuing Israeli occupation. Israel's ambassador to the UN Danny Danon stressed last week that the resolution vote in the Assembly, where no country can veto it, was pointless, telling countries "don't waste more of your energy." "No resolution, no vote... will stand in our way" in efforts to bring the hostages home, he said.
