On December 1 Chinese President Xi and US President Trump reached an important consensus on trade issues
On the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Argentina, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to keep their trade war from escalating
The temporary truce does little to resolve the deep differences between the two nations and is more a political agreement than a substantive one
The first day of the G20 summit offered glimmers of hope for progress between Washington and Beijing
Trump has in his 22 months in office succeeded in disrupting the globe's most important economic partnership and befuddling Chinese officials
WTO is on the verge of becoming dysfunctional, just when it is most needed to fulfil its role as umpire in trade disputes and as the watchdog of global commerce
Trade and tariffs have been topics of increasing tension between the US and China
When an imported good enters a port in the United States, the importer of record initially gets the bill for the tariff
The US is coming to the summit in very good shape, said Trump's Chief Economic Advisor
Trump said it was "highly unlikely" he would accept China's request to hold off on the increase, which is due to take effect on January 1
Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are expected to hold talks during the G20 summit in Buenos Aires next week
Further escalation remains a real threat, says WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo
Beijing's offer is said to fall short of Trump's demands
This year Alibaba has lowered its revenue forecast for the first time since listing in 2014
Economic momentum in China has been softening in the past months
Countries like Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia are luring more electronics and computer companies to their shores
It was unclear if Trump was easing up on US demands that China has resisted
The US levied tariffs of 10 per cent on $200 billion of Chinese products in September, with the rate set to increase to 25 per cent by the end of the year
US companies operating in China believe they are suffering more from the trade dispute than firms from other countries
Abe is expected to meet with President Xi Jinping later on Friday in the first full-scale Sino-Japanese summit since 2011