Trade talks between the US and China resumed on Tuesday after six hours of discussions between top officials in London on Monday. Tuesday’s talks are expected to continue to focus on easing tensions over rare earths and tech.

After day one, US officials were upbeat but vague on progress. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said it was a “good meeting,” while Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick called the negotiations “fruitful.” President Trump said on Monday he received “good reports” but added that “China’s not easy.” Vice Premier He Lifeng, who led China’s delegation, did not comment on the meeting.

The negotiations follow Trump’s call with Xi Jinping last week, which both leaders framed as positive. US-China tensions have risen in the aftermath of the countries’ trade truce reached in mid-May in Geneva, with both countries accusing the other of breaching that truce while ratcheting up pressure on other issues.

The US and China are also now using their control over certain key materials to gain control in the trade war. Bloomberg reported on Friday that the US dominates in ethane, a gas used to make plastics, and China buys nearly all of it. Washington is now tightening control by requiring export licenses. China’s curbs on exports of rare earth minerals, crucial for autos and more, have drawn Washington’s ire.

Read more: What Trump’s tariffs mean for the economy and your wallet

The US-China talks come as Trump pushes countries to speed up negotiations. The US sent a letter to partners as a “friendly reminder” that Trump’s self-imposed 90-day pause on sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs is set to expire in early July.

White House advisers have for weeks promised trade deals in the “not-too-distant future,” with the only announced agreement so far coming with the United Kingdom. US and Indian officials held trade talks this week and agreed to extend those discussions on Monday and Tuesday ahead of the July 9 deadline.

New tariffs are coming into play: Effective Wednesday, June 4, Trump doubled tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25% to 50%.

Meanwhile, Trump’s most sweeping tariffs face legal uncertainty after a federal appeals court allowed the tariffs to temporarily stay in effect, a day after the US Court of International Trade blocked their implementation, deeming the method used to enact them “unlawful.”

Here are the latest updates as the policy reverberates around the world.

LIVE

1132 updates

Trade talks between the US and China resumed on Tuesday after six hours of discussions between top officials in London on Monday. Tuesday’s talks are expected to continue to focus on easing tensions over rare earths and tech.

After day one, US officials were upbeat but vague on progress. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said it was a “good meeting,” while Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick called the negotiations “fruitful.” President Trump said on Monday he received “good reports” but added that “China’s not easy.” Vice Premier He Lifeng, who led China’s delegation, did not comment on the meeting.

The negotiations follow Trump’s call with Xi Jinping last week, which both leaders framed as positive. US-China tensions have risen in the aftermath of the countries’ trade truce reached in mid-May in Geneva, with both countries accusing the other of breaching that truce while ratcheting up pressure on other issues.

The US and China are also now using their control over certain key materials to gain control in the trade war. Bloomberg reported on Friday that the US dominates in ethane, a gas used to make plastics, and China buys nearly all of it. Washington is now tightening control by requiring export licenses. China’s curbs on exports of rare earth minerals, crucial for autos and more, have drawn Washington’s ire.

Read more: What Trump’s tariffs mean for the economy and your wallet

The US-China talks come as Trump pushes countries to speed up negotiations. The US sent a letter to partners as a “friendly reminder” that Trump’s self-imposed 90-day pause on sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs is set to expire in early July.

White House advisers have for weeks promised trade deals in the “not-too-distant future,” with the only announced agreement so far coming with the United Kingdom. US and Indian officials held trade talks this week and agreed to extend those discussions on Monday and Tuesday ahead of the July 9 deadline.

New tariffs are coming into play: Effective Wednesday, June 4, Trump doubled tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25% to 50%.

Meanwhile, Trump’s most sweeping tariffs face legal uncertainty after a federal appeals court allowed the tariffs to temporarily stay in effect, a day after the US Court of International Trade blocked their implementation, deeming the method used to enact them “unlawful.”

Here are the latest updates as the policy reverberates around the world.

LIVE

1132 updates

LONDON: United States and Chinese officials are set to meet on Tuesday (Jun 10) for a second day of trade talks in London, seeking to shore up a shaky tariff truce in a spat further strained by export curbs.

The gathering of key officials from the world’s two biggest economies began Monday in the historic Lancaster House, run by the UK Foreign Office, following an earlier round of talks in Geneva last month.

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng was again heading the team in London, which included Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and China International Trade Representative Li Chenggang.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are leading the US delegation.

A source familiar with negotiations told AFP that talks wrapped up Monday evening and are expected to restart Tuesday at 10am local time.

The London meeting came after Washington accused Beijing of violating their Geneva deal to de-escalate staggeringly high tariffs.

A key sticking point was the export of rare earths from China.

“In Geneva, we had agreed to lower tariffs on them, and they had agreed to release the magnets and rare earths that we need throughout the economy,” Kevin Hassett, director of the White House’s National Economic Council, told CNBC on Monday.

But even though Beijing was releasing some supplies, “it was going a lot slower than some companies believed was optimal”, Hassett added.

This issue was raised last week in US President Donald Trump’s first publicly announced telephone talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping since the Republican’s return to the White House.

Trump said on his Truth Social platform that Thursday’s long-awaited call reached a “very positive conclusion”.

On Monday, the US leader told reporters that he was “only getting good reports” on the trade talks, adding: “We are doing well with China. China is not easy.”