China and US Trade Chiefs Meet in Seoul Before Trump's Beijing Trip
Chinese and American trade officials met in Seoul ahead of Donald Trump's visit to Beijing. The talks are expected to prepare ground on tariffs and technology export restrictions.

According to Nikkei Asia, Chinese and American trade delegations held last-minute talks in Seoul ahead of Donald Trump's trip to Beijing. The meetings are intended to explore room for an expansion, or an easing, of the long-running tariff dispute between the two sides.
The agenda spans semiconductor export controls, rare earths and farm goods. Beijing is pushing for looser access to advanced chips while Washington remains firm on not losing control over dual-use materials. The delegations are working on a possible framework text that could accompany the summit.
Markets are looking for concrete deliverables from the Trump-Xi meeting. Asian trading floors will track the summit on Thursday; large US technology stocks, led by Nvidia, will remain sensitive to any signals on export licences. The substance of the meetings is expected to become clear over the rest of the week.
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