Trade dispute puts spotlight on US, China
China and the United States have been in the spotlight as a result of several months of trade tensions. In March, the US ignited a dispute, blaming China for the trade imbalance between the countries and threatening to impose additional tariffs on Chinese imports.
On July 6, the US imposed tariffs of 25 percent on $34 billion of Chinese goods, and China responded in kind. It was the first tangible action China had taken in the escalation of bilateral trade tensions. Following on from that, both sides announced new tariffs on imported goods.
The countries held talks in Washington in August. On Dec 1, President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires. They agreed to continue negotiations, stop the imposition of new tariffs and exchange visits at appropriate times.