US-China tensions ease as Bessent confirms call with counterpart He Lifeng

byVerified News Online

AdvertisementUS-China trade warEconomyChina EconomyUS-China tensions ease as Bessent confirms call with counterpart He Lifeng

Talks resume after threats of 100% tariffs and rare earth curbs, signalling a pause in the trade fight ahead of Trump-Xi meeting

Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMP4

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the White House on Friday. Photo: AP

Bochen Hanin WashingtonandMia Nurmamatin Hong Kong

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed plans to speak with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng on Friday in a further sign of easing tensions ahead of a potential meeting between the two countries’ leaders.

Advertisement

“The vice-premier, who is my counterpart, and I will be speaking this evening at around 8.30, 9 o’clock,” Bessent said at the White House on Friday.

The Treasury secretary added that He will also join him and a delegation in Malaysia “probably a week from tomorrow” to prepare for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Bessent’s comments come just days after tensions in the US-China trade war escalated, when Beijing announced on October 9 that it would roll out further export restrictions for rare earth elements, key raw materials used in hi-tech manufacturing, in what many saw as a response to the expansion of a US trade blacklist.Trump responded to Beijing’s announcement by threatening to impose an additional 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods – which he later conceded was “not sustainable” – and introduce export controls on all “critical software” from the start of next month.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (left) shakes hands with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng during a bilateral meeting between the US and China in Geneva in May. Photo: Reuters
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (left) shakes hands with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng during a bilateral meeting between the US and China in Geneva in May. Photo: Reuters

More complications arose on Tuesday, when China and the United States began implementing new port fee structures on each other’s ships and Trump warned he was considering a halt to imports of Chinese cooking oil.AdvertisementSelect VoiceChoose your listening speedGet through articles 2x faster1.25×250 WPMSlowAverageFast1.25x

Related Posts

US shutdown: Deadlock to enter third week as Senate rejects stopgap funding bill for 10th time —Who to be blamed?

The Senate voted down the House-passed spending patch for the tenth time on Thursday, as the government shutdown continued with no end in sight. Because the chamber does not plan to be in legislative session again until Monday, it nearly ensures the funding lapse will reach the three-week mark at midnight Tuesday. Senate Majority Leader John Thune continued to force votes on the GOP-led stopgap, while Democratic senators showed no signs of breaking rank and voting in support, Politico reported. The same Democrats who had been voting against the legislation in recent days continued to cast “no” votes on Thursday to advance the measure that would fund the govt through November 21. Independent Senator Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats, voted again in support of the Republican-led stopgap, along with Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada. However, one new variable emerged this week that could help end the stalemate: Thune is hoping ..

China’s chief space contractor readies plans for tourism programme

AdvertisementChina Aerospace Science and Technology CorporationEconomyChina EconomyChina’s chief space contractor readies plans for tourism programmeA state-owned giant is expected to unveil a space tourism package this week, with suborbital trips priced lower than US rivals SpaceX and Blue Origin
Reading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMP1Frank Chenin ShanghaiPublished: 8:00am, 14 Nov 2025As companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin make headlines for sending non-astronauts into space on pricey private tours, a Chinese state firm is expected to unveil its own space tourism programme this week, joining other domestic enterprises as they attempt to make headway in the rapidly emerging – and US-dominated – market.
AdvertisementChina Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), the primary contractor for the country's space programme, will unveil details of its inaugural tour at the China Hi-tech Fair, which opens on Friday in the southern tech hub of Shenzhen.According to the Securit..

‘Hire attractive people’: Indian-origin CEOs face racist trolling as they announce $61M fund for their startup

Varun Vummadi and Esha Manideep announced $61M fund for their San Francisco startup but the comment section was filled with trolling. IIT Kharagpur graduates and Forbes 30 Under 30 alums Varun Vummadi and Esha Manideep were subjected to vicious trolling as they released their video announcing that their San Francisco-based startup Giga has raised $61 million. They were trolled for their appearance, their accent and also their project as it has a call center connection. But there were enough voices to school the trolls that there are many “attractive” people on this planet but not everyone has a purpose. Giga, the Indian duo's voice AI startup, is already working with food delivery company DoorDash. With the fresh funding, the company is looking to scale up usage within Fortune 100 enterprises and grow its team. Giga creates AI systems capable of handling live interactions for large businesses. In the video that they released, the CEO described how their AI functions within two wee..