Chinese and American officials are meeting in Kuala Lumpur for the fifth round of trade talks this year. Since their last meeting in Spain, the two sides have gone through a rocky month. Washington is threatening new tariffs and export bans on so-called "critical software", while Beijing tightened export controls on rare earths. All these issues are expected to be on the table in Kuala Lumpur as both sides look to ease tensions before the APEC meeting later this month.
Facing an increasingly severe risk of economic recession, US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that a deal will be reached with China. But analysts say his team still lacks a clear strategy, because China won't be easily intimidated by US threats.