China is considering US proposals for trade talks. This follows economic strain from US tariffs. Factory activity and exports in China have declined. Beijing signals openness to dialogue. However, it warns against coercion.

The Chinese foreign ministry on Monday, said President Xi Jinping had not spoken to Donald Trump recently, nor were their respective administrations trying to strike a tariff deal. This is in contradiction to the US president’s claim in an interview with Time magazine that he and the Chinese president had spoken.

Voicing frustration over the lack of success in ending Russia's invasion of Ukraine, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for renewed focus on "our number-one geopolitical foe" -- China.