Top Chinese trade envoy Liu He was greeted on Thursday by senior US officials as they resumed efforts to resolve their nations' escalating trade war.
The atmosphere surrounding the talks was acrimonious and shifting rapidly, with one news report overnight saying Chinese officials could cut short their visit.
Markets have pinned hopes on reports Chinese officials plan to avert fresh tariff increases by striking a partial bargain that falls short of addressing all of Washington's grievances.
But adding to the strains, Beijing again denounced Washington's sanctions on the telecommunications giant Huawei.
"I want to stress once again that the US practices are neither honorable nor ethical," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters. "They are also a denial of the market economy principles that the US is always flaunting."
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