By Trevor Hunnicutt, Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom

BUSAN, South Korea (Reuters) -As U.S. President Donald Trump and China’s leader Xi Jinping prepare to kick off talks on Thursday, U.S. negotiators have signaled they seek a return to a fragile trade war truce, but tensions remain high and longer-term economic irritants will likely persist between the geopolitical rivals.

Trump has repeatedly expressed optimism about reaching a deal when he meets Xi in Busan, South Korea, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. It will be their first face-to-face meeting since Trump’s first term.

But with both countries increasingly willing to play hardball over areas of economic and geopolitical competition – which analysts see as a new Cold War – many questions r

See Full Page