US and Chinese officials kicked off a new round of talks aimed at defusing a standoff between the world’s two largest economies before an upcoming leaders’ summit.

Chinese and US delegations began a meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday morning, according the official Xinhua news agency. They’re led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, respectively.

Bessent and He, a longtime associate of President Xi Jinping, face the task of negotiating down new escalatory measures imposed by their countries against one another. They are also setting the stage for expected talks on Thursday between Xi and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ summit in South Korea.

Earlier in October, Trump lashed out against Be

See Full Page