<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fedex-sues-us-government-over-shipment-restrictions-230266">FedEx</a> warned Tuesday that its fiscal 2020 earnings outlook remains clouded by trade war uncertainty as the company's chief executive criticized the Trump administration's lurch towards protectionism.

Overall the company is projecting 2020 diluted earnings-per-share to be down by a "mid-single-digit" percentage point compared with the 2019 level.

FedEx expects higher operating income in fiscal 2020 from its domestic package and freight shipping services as growing e-commerce activity fuels higher revenues.

But operating income is expected to be dented at FedEx Express, its international shipping division, in part because of trade uncertainty.&nbsp;

"We've been very disappointed over the last few years with the assumptions that we made on the growth of international trade, particularly with the Trump administration," Chief Executive Fred Smith said on a conference call with financial analysts.

"The United States policy since 1934... was to expand international trade and now we have a huge dispute with China where the US has basically become protectionist, defined as 'I'll make everything I need in my own borders.'"

Smith, long an outspoken advocate of free trade, also took issue with China's policy on trade, which he described as "mercantilist."

US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are expected to meet at the G20 gathering in Japan later this week, an occasion that investors are hoping will bring the two countries closer to an agreement after months of tariffs, countermeasures and threats.

Smith said the company remained committed to operating in China and "completely dedicated" to comply with Chinese laws. &nbsp;

He said the company has experienced more audits "to some degree" at its Guangzhou hub in the wake of the US-China dispute.

FedEx again apologized over delivery problems involving Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei following a US crackdown on the company that Trump has linked to the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-hopes-to-re-launch-china-trade-talks-will-not-accept-conditions-on-tariffs-230453">US-China trade war</a>.

Smith said the company's newly-filed lawsuit against the Commerce Department over export restrictions was not directly related to the Huawei case but was due to a broader set of government actions that are "opaque" and put too much onus on delivery companies.

On Monday, FedEx sued the US Commerce Department over export restrictions it said to impose an "impossible burden" on delivery firms and asked a US District Court to block enforcement of the measures.

FedEx says the US rules make shippers liable for packages that could violate the restrictions, even if the shipper has no prior knowledge of the problem.

FedEx reported a net loss of $2 billion for the quarter ending May 31, compared with $1.1 billion in profits in the year-ago period.&nbsp;

The company cited lower international revenues and $316 million in costs associated with a voluntary employee buyout as factors in the loss.

Revenues rose three per cent overall to $17.8 billion.

Shares rose 0.7 per cent to $157.05 in after-hours trading.

FedEx warned Tuesday that its fiscal 2020 earnings outlook remains clouded by trade war uncertainty as the company's chief executive criticized the Trump administration's lurch towards protectionism.

FedEx warned Tuesday that its fiscal 2020 earnings outlook remains clouded by trade war uncertainty as the company's chief executive criticized the Trump administration's lurch towards protectionism. Overall the company is projecting 2020 diluted earnings-per-share to be down by a "mid-single-digit" percentage point compared with the 2019 level. FedEx expects higher operating income in fiscal 2020 from its domestic package and freight shipping services as growing e-commerce activity fuels higher revenues. But operating income is expected to be dented at FedEx Express, its international shipping division, in part because of trade uncertainty. "We've been very disappointed over the last few years with the assumptions that we made on the growth of international trade, particularly with the Trump administration," Chief Executive Fred Smith said on a conference call with financial analysts. "The United States policy since 1934... was to expand international trade and now we have a huge dispute with China where the US has basically become protectionist, defined as 'I'll make everything I need in my own borders.'" Smith, long an outspoken advocate of free trade, also took issue with China's policy on trade, which he described as "mercantilist." US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are expected to meet at the G20 gathering in Japan later this week, an occasion that investors are hoping will bring the two countries closer to an agreement after months of tariffs, countermeasures and threats. Smith said the company remained committed to operating in China and "completely dedicated" to comply with Chinese laws. He said the company has experienced more audits "to some degree" at its Guangzhou hub in the wake of the US-China dispute. FedEx again apologized over delivery problems involving Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei following a US crackdown on the company that Trump has linked to the US-China trade war. Smith said the company's newly-filed lawsuit against the Commerce Department over export restrictions was not directly related to the Huawei case but was due to a broader set of government actions that are "opaque" and put too much onus on delivery companies. On Monday, FedEx sued the US Commerce Department over export restrictions it said to impose an "impossible burden" on delivery firms and asked a US District Court to block enforcement of the measures. FedEx says the US rules make shippers liable for packages that could violate the restrictions, even if the shipper has no prior knowledge of the problem. FedEx reported a net loss of $2 billion for the quarter ending May 31, compared with $1.1 billion in profits in the year-ago period. The company cited lower international revenues and $316 million in costs associated with a voluntary employee buyout as factors in the loss. Revenues rose three per cent overall to $17.8 billion. Shares rose 0.7 per cent to $157.05 in after-hours trading.

FedEx offers cautious 2020 outlook as CEO slams United States, China on trade

More than a thousand protesters marched to major foreign consulates on Wednesday calling on leaders at the upcoming G20 summit to raise the plight of Hong Kong with China and to support the full scrapping of a controversial extradition bill.

Holding placards including "Please Liberate Hong Kong" and chanting "Help Hong Kong", the demonstrators, some wearing masks, marched to a succession of consulates represented at the Group of 20 major economies summit in Japan's Osaka this weekend.

Over the past three weeks, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-says-will-not-allow-hong-kong-issue-to-be-discussed-at-g20-summit-229878">millions of Hong Kong people have protested against an extradition bill </a>that would have allowed individuals, including foreigners, to be extradited to mainland China to face trial in courts controlled by the Communist Party.

Hong Kong's Beijing-appointed leader Carrie Lam, eventually caved in after some of the worst violence seen in decades on the city's streets, with police firing tear gas and rubber bullets.

But Lam stopped short of protester demands to scrap the bill altogether, saying it would be suspended indefinitely.

"As long as the government doesn't withdraw the bill, and they refuse to respond, then we will keep on fighting," said Aslee Tam, a 19-year-old university student in the march.

"We want to make some noise during the G20 meeting, to let other countries discuss the issues in Hong Kong."

At the US consulate, protesters handed over a petition asking president Donald Trump to "Back Hong Kong at the G20 Summit". They urged Trump to raise Hong Kong with China's leader Xi Jinping, and to support a full withdrawal of the extradition bill and to set up an independent investigation into Hong Kong police brutality against protesters.

The protesters, some wearing "Liberate Hong Kong" T-shirts, also marched to the British consulate where their petition was received by a senior diplomat. Britain's Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt told parliament on Tuesday that London would ban sales of tear gas to Hong Kong and called for an independent probe into the recent violence.

The raising of Hong Kong's extradition saga could prove to be an embarrassment for China's leader Xi, at a delicate time of rising trade tensions with the United States, and pile further pressure on Hong Kong's leader amid reports Beijing now harbours serious doubts about her capabilities.

An assistant Chinese Foreign Minister Zhang Jun said earlier this week that China won't allow Hong Kong to be discussed at the G20.

But Hong Kong activists have raised more than HK$5 million ($640,606) in a crowdfunding campaign to take out newspaper ads in major foreign media like the New York Times in a bid to raise awareness of Hong Kong's plight at the G20. Some Hong Kong activists have also travelled to Osaka.

More than a thousand protesters marched to major foreign consulates on Wednesday calling on leaders at the upcoming G20 summit to raise the plight of Hong Kong with China and to support the full scrapping of a controversial extradition bill.

More than a thousand protesters marched to major foreign consulates on Wednesday calling on leaders at the upcoming G20 summit to raise the plight of Hong Kong with China and to support the full scrapping of a controversial extradition bill. Holding placards including "Please Liberate Hong Kong" and chanting "Help Hong Kong", the demonstrators, some wearing masks, marched to a succession of consulates represented at the Group of 20 major economies summit in Japan's Osaka this weekend. Over the past three weeks, millions of Hong Kong people have protested against an extradition bill that would have allowed individuals, including foreigners, to be extradited to mainland China to face trial in courts controlled by the Communist Party. Hong Kong's Beijing-appointed leader Carrie Lam, eventually caved in after some of the worst violence seen in decades on the city's streets, with police firing tear gas and rubber bullets. But Lam stopped short of protester demands to scrap the bill altogether, saying it would be suspended indefinitely. "As long as the government doesn't withdraw the bill, and they refuse to respond, then we will keep on fighting," said Aslee Tam, a 19-year-old university student in the march. "We want to make some noise during the G20 meeting, to let other countries discuss the issues in Hong Kong." At the US consulate, protesters handed over a petition asking president Donald Trump to "Back Hong Kong at the G20 Summit". They urged Trump to raise Hong Kong with China's leader Xi Jinping, and to support a full withdrawal of the extradition bill and to set up an independent investigation into Hong Kong police brutality against protesters. The protesters, some wearing "Liberate Hong Kong" T-shirts, also marched to the British consulate where their petition was received by a senior diplomat. Britain's Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt told parliament on Tuesday that London would ban sales of tear gas to Hong Kong and called for an independent probe into the recent violence. The raising of Hong Kong's extradition saga could prove to be an embarrassment for China's leader Xi, at a delicate time of rising trade tensions with the United States, and pile further pressure on Hong Kong's leader amid reports Beijing now harbours serious doubts about her capabilities. An assistant Chinese Foreign Minister Zhang Jun said earlier this week that China won't allow Hong Kong to be discussed at the G20. But Hong Kong activists have raised more than HK$5 million ($640,606) in a crowdfunding campaign to take out newspaper ads in major foreign media like the New York Times in a bid to raise awareness of Hong Kong's plight at the G20. Some Hong Kong activists have also travelled to Osaka.

Hong Kong activists call on G20 leaders to help 'liberate' city

Global trade, geopolitical hotspots around the world and even horse-trading over top EU jobs, G20 leaders have a lot of their plate when they meet from Friday in Osaka.

Here are some of the most pressing issues facing the leaders at the two-day meeting, with the decisive action likely to take place mainly on the sidelines and away from the formal programme.

&nbsp;'Tariffs and trade'

All eyes will be on whether the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-hopes-to-re-launch-china-trade-talks-will-not-accept-conditions-on-tariffs-230453">US and China,</a> the world's top two economies, can bury the hatchet in their long-running trade war that is causing headwinds for an already fragile global economy.

The two leaders, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, will hold talks on the sidelines of the Osaka summit, their first face-to-face meeting since December at the last G20 in Argentina.

Experts are sceptical that a definitive deal will be struck in Japan, but many believe they may agree on a tariff truce and set a new deadline for a final agreement.

Trade will also feature heavily as a point of conflict in the wider G20 meeting with battles likely over the wording of the final statement -- if the leaders can agree to one.

A G20 finance ministers meeting earlier this month noted in a communique that trade tensions had "intensified" and that risks were "tilted to the downside", but even this statement took 30 hours of hard-fought wrangling.

Letter from Pyongyang

Relations between the United States and North Korea have been in the freezer since a summit in Hanoi in February failed to achieve progress on Pyongyang's nuclear programme.

But a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-to-visit-south-korea-as-pompeo-raises-hope-for-new-north-korea-talks-after-letter-230158">recent exchange of letters between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un</a> has raised hopes that a third summit could be on the cards, and the US president is travelling to South Korea immediately after the G20.

In this matter too, Xi plays a key role. He will arrive in Osaka fresh from his first visit to Pyongyang and observers expect the Chinese president to pass on a message from Kim to rekindle diplomatic activity.

Some believe the two issues of trade and North Korea could dovetail, with Trump needing Xi's help to solve the nuclear issue that he has trumpeted as a major foreign policy triumph.

Iranian powder keg

With key regional players such as the United States, Saudi Arabia and Russia in attendance, the mounting tensions with Iran are certain to be a hot topic of conversation on the sidelines of the meeting.

The G20 host, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, sought to play a mediation role with a historic trip to Tehran, but this was overshadowed by two attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman that Washington blames on Iran.

At the last moment, Trump called off a planned military retaliation for the downing of an unmanned US drone, saying that the estimated death toll of 150 was not proportionate.

Trump trumps everything

Despite hosts Japan desperately trying to focus media attention on its priority issues such as ocean plastic and ageing populations, the US leader's meetings on the sidelines are likely to overshadow everything -- especially planned talks with Russia and Turkey.

Trump is expected to meet Vladimir Putin for face-to-face talks for the first time since July 2018 in Helsinki, where he was attacked for being too conciliatory to the Kremlin strongman amid accusations of Russian meddling in the US election.

Turkey's leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, fresh from a humiliating defeat in a re-run election in Istanbul's mayoral election, is hoping to use good relations with Trump to defuse a row between the NATO allies over Ankara's purchase of Russian missiles.

The US has given Turkey until the end of July to renounce its deal with Moscow for the S-400 missiles or face sanctions, an ultimatum that Ankara has slammed as "inappropriate".

'Brussels horse-trading'

After failing to stitch up a deal for the successor to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at a summit on Friday, EU leaders have kicked the can down the road to a special meeting in Brussels on June 30.

This happens to be the day after the G20, so most observers expect the senior EU players from Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands to continue the horse-trading in Japan -- although any final deal will have to wait until European soil.

Global trade, geopolitical hotspots around the world and even horse-trading over top EU jobs, G20 leaders have a lot of their plate when they meet from Friday in Osaka.

Global trade, geopolitical hotspots around the world and even horse-trading over top EU jobs, G20 leaders have a lot of their plate when they meet from Friday in Osaka. Here are some of the most pressing issues facing the leaders at the two-day meeting, with the decisive action likely to take place mainly on the sidelines and away from the formal programme. 'Tariffs and trade' All eyes will be on whether the US and China, the world's top two economies, can bury the hatchet in their long-running trade war that is causing headwinds for an already fragile global economy. The two leaders, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, will hold talks on the sidelines of the Osaka summit, their first face-to-face meeting since December at the last G20 in Argentina. Experts are sceptical that a definitive deal will be struck in Japan, but many believe they may agree on a tariff truce and set a new deadline for a final agreement. Trade will also feature heavily as a point of conflict in the wider G20 meeting with battles likely over the wording of the final statement -- if the leaders can agree to one. A G20 finance ministers meeting earlier this month noted in a communique that trade tensions had "intensified" and that risks were "tilted to the downside", but even this statement took 30 hours of hard-fought wrangling. Letter from Pyongyang Relations between the United States and North Korea have been in the freezer since a summit in Hanoi in February failed to achieve progress on Pyongyang's nuclear programme. But a recent exchange of letters between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has raised hopes that a third summit could be on the cards, and the US president is travelling to South Korea immediately after the G20. In this matter too, Xi plays a key role. He will arrive in Osaka fresh from his first visit to Pyongyang and observers expect the Chinese president to pass on a message from Kim to rekindle diplomatic activity. Some believe the two issues of trade and North Korea could dovetail, with Trump needing Xi's help to solve the nuclear issue that he has trumpeted as a major foreign policy triumph. Iranian powder keg With key regional players such as the United States, Saudi Arabia and Russia in attendance, the mounting tensions with Iran are certain to be a hot topic of conversation on the sidelines of the meeting. The G20 host, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, sought to play a mediation role with a historic trip to Tehran, but this was overshadowed by two attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman that Washington blames on Iran. At the last moment, Trump called off a planned military retaliation for the downing of an unmanned US drone, saying that the estimated death toll of 150 was not proportionate. Trump trumps everything Despite hosts Japan desperately trying to focus media attention on its priority issues such as ocean plastic and ageing populations, the US leader's meetings on the sidelines are likely to overshadow everything -- especially planned talks with Russia and Turkey. Trump is expected to meet Vladimir Putin for face-to-face talks for the first time since July 2018 in Helsinki, where he was attacked for being too conciliatory to the Kremlin strongman amid accusations of Russian meddling in the US election. Turkey's leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, fresh from a humiliating defeat in a re-run election in Istanbul's mayoral election, is hoping to use good relations with Trump to defuse a row between the NATO allies over Ankara's purchase of Russian missiles. The US has given Turkey until the end of July to renounce its deal with Moscow for the S-400 missiles or face sanctions, an ultimatum that Ankara has slammed as "inappropriate". 'Brussels horse-trading' After failing to stitch up a deal for the successor to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at a summit on Friday, EU leaders have kicked the can down the road to a special meeting in Brussels on June 30. This happens to be the day after the G20, so most observers expect the senior EU players from Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands to continue the horse-trading in Japan -- although any final deal will have to wait until European soil.

Trade and horsetrade: Top five hot-button G20 issues

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/asian-stocks-fail-to-catch-wall-streets-fed-rally-as-trade-angst-persists-229074">Asian equities</a> were mixed Tuesday as investors sat on their hands days before this week's crucial meeting between <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/leaked-documents-show-red-flags-of-donald-trump-officials-230036">Donald Trump</a> and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/kim-jong-un-xi-jinping-agree-to-grow-ties-whatever-external-situation-report-229384">Xi Jinping</a>, while gold hit a fresh six-year high on a weaker dollar and the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/gulf-crisis-navy-launches-operation-operation-sankalp-to-reassure-indian-vessels-amid-us-iran-row-229020">US-Iran crisis</a>.

While the stand-off between Washington and Tehran is fuelling concerns of a conflict between the old foes, the main focus for investors is the tete-a-tete between the leaders of the world's two biggest economies in Osaka.

World markets have rallied since the US president last week flagged positive phone talks with Xi and said they would discuss their trade spat on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

On Tuesday Chinese state media said top-level negotiators for both sides had held discussions ahead of the meeting, and "exchanged opinions on economic and trade issues". The call took place "at the request of the US side" and they agreed to maintain contact, the Xinhua news agency said.

"The G20 will not get going until midweek, but the anticipation of a meeting between the leaders of China and the US is keeping markets guessing," said OANDA senior market analyst Alfonso Esparza.

"The prolonged trade war between the two largest economies has downgraded global growth as more barriers to trade means higher prices. Optimism remains high, but more details need to emerge before the market can fully price in how far apart the two sides really are from a deal."

In early trade Hong Kong and Shanghai each dropped 0.7 per cent after a recent healthy run-up, while Tokyo finished the morning 0.2 per cent lower. Taipei was also down.

However, Sydney and Singapore were both 0.1 per cent higher while Seoul and Wellington added 0.2 per cent apiece. Manila and Jakarta were also up.

Bitcoin holds gains

It is "a pretty good guess that we won’t see a whole lot of movement in front of the big upcoming meetings (G20 and OPEC)," Matt Maley, equity strategist at Miller Tabak &amp; Co, said. "The results of those meetings should be quite important to the stock market’s next move."

Gold prices continue to rise -- sitting at highs not seen since September 2013 -- as investors seek out the safe haven to hedge against a possible US-Iran conflagration, while the softening dollar is also providing support.

The White House ramped up sanctions on Tehran, imposing strict measures against supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and military top brass following the downing of a US drone.

The move raised tensions between the two, though NAB's Tapas Strickland said the measures "appear to be more gloss than substance given US sanctions are already very harsh".

Oil prices were unable to sustain the surge started last week by the drone incident, with both main contracts dipping Tuesday.

Iran and the US have said they do not want a war, with the US content with trying to cripple Iran economically.

Oil traders are also keenly awaiting a meeting of OPEC and other major producers this weekend, hoping for clarity on their output reduction programme, which has supported prices.

The greenback was down against most other currencies, weighed by expectations the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates as soon as July, while bitcoin held above $11,000 after breaking the marker for the first time in 16 months.

Asian equities were mixed Tuesday as investors sat on their hands days before this week's crucial meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, while gold hit a fresh six-year high on a weaker dollar and the US-Iran crisis.

Asian equities were mixed Tuesday as investors sat on their hands days before this week's crucial meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, while gold hit a fresh six-year high on a weaker dollar and the US-Iran crisis. While the stand-off between Washington and Tehran is fuelling concerns of a conflict between the old foes, the main focus for investors is the tete-a-tete between the leaders of the world's two biggest economies in Osaka. World markets have rallied since the US president last week flagged positive phone talks with Xi and said they would discuss their trade spat on the sidelines of the G20 summit. On Tuesday Chinese state media said top-level negotiators for both sides had held discussions ahead of the meeting, and "exchanged opinions on economic and trade issues". The call took place "at the request of the US side" and they agreed to maintain contact, the Xinhua news agency said. "The G20 will not get going until midweek, but the anticipation of a meeting between the leaders of China and the US is keeping markets guessing," said OANDA senior market analyst Alfonso Esparza. "The prolonged trade war between the two largest economies has downgraded global growth as more barriers to trade means higher prices. Optimism remains high, but more details need to emerge before the market can fully price in how far apart the two sides really are from a deal." In early trade Hong Kong and Shanghai each dropped 0.7 per cent after a recent healthy run-up, while Tokyo finished the morning 0.2 per cent lower. Taipei was also down. However, Sydney and Singapore were both 0.1 per cent higher while Seoul and Wellington added 0.2 per cent apiece. Manila and Jakarta were also up. Bitcoin holds gains It is "a pretty good guess that we won’t see a whole lot of movement in front of the big upcoming meetings (G20 and OPEC)," Matt Maley, equity strategist at Miller Tabak & Co, said. "The results of those meetings should be quite important to the stock market’s next move." Gold prices continue to rise -- sitting at highs not seen since September 2013 -- as investors seek out the safe haven to hedge against a possible US-Iran conflagration, while the softening dollar is also providing support. The White House ramped up sanctions on Tehran, imposing strict measures against supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and military top brass following the downing of a US drone. The move raised tensions between the two, though NAB's Tapas Strickland said the measures "appear to be more gloss than substance given US sanctions are already very harsh". Oil prices were unable to sustain the surge started last week by the drone incident, with both main contracts dipping Tuesday. Iran and the US have said they do not want a war, with the US content with trying to cripple Iran economically. Oil traders are also keenly awaiting a meeting of OPEC and other major producers this weekend, hoping for clarity on their output reduction programme, which has supported prices. The greenback was down against most other currencies, weighed by expectations the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates as soon as July, while bitcoin held above $11,000 after breaking the marker for the first time in 16 months.

Stocks mixed ahead of G20, Iran and weak dollar lift gold

The United States hopes to re-launch trade talks with China after <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-china-trade-negotiators-hold-talks-ahead-of-xi-trump-meeting-report-230147">President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping</a> meet in Japan on Saturday but Washington will not accept any conditions on tariffs, a senior administration official said on Tuesday.

The two sides could agree not to impose new tariffs as a goodwill gesture to get negotiations going, the official said, but it was unclear if that would happen.

The United States was not willing to come to the Xi meeting with concessions, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The remarks set up what could prove to be a tricky meeting between Trump and Xi, who will sit down together at the Group of 20 summit meeting in Osaka, the first time they have done so since trade talks between the world's two largest economies broke down in May.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, who has led trade talks for Beijing, spoke on the phone with his counterparts, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday, according to China's Ministry of Commerce. The three men are helping to pave the way for talks between the leaders later this week.

Expectations for that meeting so far appear to be low, with the best-case scenario a resumption of official talks that could ease fears in financial markets that the already long trade dispute would continue indefinitely.

China said on Monday that both sides should make compromises in the trade talks and that a trade deal has to be beneficial for both countries.

Trump advisers have said no broad trade deal is expected to be made at the meeting but they hope to create a path forward for talks. Once negotiations resume, they could take months or even years to complete, the senior Trump administration official said.

Washington has imposed 25% tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese goods, ranging from semiconductors to furniture, that is imported to the United States, as part of the trade war.

Trump has threatened to put tariffs on $325 billion more of goods, covering nearly all the remaining Chinese imports into the United States, including consumer products such as cellphones, computers and clothing.

A resumption of negotiations could put that threat on hold, at least for now. But neither side has shown a great appetite for changing positions, despite a willingness to meet.

"I think if they go with the tariffs, the trade talks are dead. Period," said one person familiar with the talks.

The United States has made clear it wants China to go back to the position it held in a draft trade agreement that was nearly completed before Beijing balked at some of its terms, particularly requirements to change its laws on some issues.

Beijing wants the United States to lift tariffs, while Washington wants China to change a series of practices including on intellectual property and requirements that US companies share their technology with Chinese companies in order to do business there.

Taoran Notes, an influential account on Chinese messaging app WeChat published by China's Economic Daily, said in a post late on Tuesday that "certain people" in the United States did not understand China's determination to uphold its position, and had "illusions" about forcing China to submit.&nbsp;

“If the US side doesn’t change its thinking, doesn’t change its methods, then all that will happen on the China-US trade issue is that an 'exchange of views and maintenance of communication’ will persist, and there won’t be more substantive progress,” the author wrote.

Pressure building

The president has spoken optimistically about the chances of a deal. The administration official said rounds of meetings between top trade officials from both countries likely would begin again after the G20 summit.

He noted that although the vice premier still led China's trade delegation, new names had been added to the list who could be hard-liners.

The official said Trump and Xi were unlikely to get into the fine details of the draft trade pact, although the case of Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies Co may come up during talks.

Pressure on Huawei, which the US government has labelled a security threat, has increased in recent days.

About a dozen rural US telecom carriers that depend on Huawei for network gear are in discussions with its biggest rivals, Ericsson and Nokia, to replace their Chinese equipment, sources familiar with the matter said.

And the US-based research arm of Huawei - Futurewei Technologies Inc - has moved to separate its operations from its corporate parent since the US government in May put Huawei on a trade blacklist, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Trump has indicated a willingness to include the Huawei issue in a trade deal, despite the national security implications cited by his advisers about the company.

Meanwhile, US parcel delivery firm FedEx Corp on Monday sued the US government, saying it should not be held liable if it inadvertently shipped products that violated a Trump administration ban on exports to some Chinese companies.

FedEx reignited Chinese ire over its business practices when a package containing a Huawei phone sent to the United States was returned last week to its sender in Britain, in what FedEx said was an "operational error."

The United States hopes to re-launch trade talks with China after President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping meet in Japan on Saturday but Washington will not accept any conditions on tariffs, a senior administration official said on Tuesday.

The United States hopes to re-launch trade talks with China after President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping meet in Japan on Saturday but Washington will not accept any conditions on tariffs, a senior administration official said on Tuesday. The two sides could agree not to impose new tariffs as a goodwill gesture to get negotiations going, the official said, but it was unclear if that would happen. The United States was not willing to come to the Xi meeting with concessions, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The remarks set up what could prove to be a tricky meeting between Trump and Xi, who will sit down together at the Group of 20 summit meeting in Osaka, the first time they have done so since trade talks between the world's two largest economies broke down in May. Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, who has led trade talks for Beijing, spoke on the phone with his counterparts, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday, according to China's Ministry of Commerce. The three men are helping to pave the way for talks between the leaders later this week. Expectations for that meeting so far appear to be low, with the best-case scenario a resumption of official talks that could ease fears in financial markets that the already long trade dispute would continue indefinitely. China said on Monday that both sides should make compromises in the trade talks and that a trade deal has to be beneficial for both countries. Trump advisers have said no broad trade deal is expected to be made at the meeting but they hope to create a path forward for talks. Once negotiations resume, they could take months or even years to complete, the senior Trump administration official said. Washington has imposed 25% tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese goods, ranging from semiconductors to furniture, that is imported to the United States, as part of the trade war. Trump has threatened to put tariffs on $325 billion more of goods, covering nearly all the remaining Chinese imports into the United States, including consumer products such as cellphones, computers and clothing. A resumption of negotiations could put that threat on hold, at least for now. But neither side has shown a great appetite for changing positions, despite a willingness to meet. "I think if they go with the tariffs, the trade talks are dead. Period," said one person familiar with the talks. The United States has made clear it wants China to go back to the position it held in a draft trade agreement that was nearly completed before Beijing balked at some of its terms, particularly requirements to change its laws on some issues. Beijing wants the United States to lift tariffs, while Washington wants China to change a series of practices including on intellectual property and requirements that US companies share their technology with Chinese companies in order to do business there. Taoran Notes, an influential account on Chinese messaging app WeChat published by China's Economic Daily, said in a post late on Tuesday that "certain people" in the United States did not understand China's determination to uphold its position, and had "illusions" about forcing China to submit. “If the US side doesn’t change its thinking, doesn’t change its methods, then all that will happen on the China-US trade issue is that an 'exchange of views and maintenance of communication’ will persist, and there won’t be more substantive progress,” the author wrote. Pressure building The president has spoken optimistically about the chances of a deal. The administration official said rounds of meetings between top trade officials from both countries likely would begin again after the G20 summit. He noted that although the vice premier still led China's trade delegation, new names had been added to the list who could be hard-liners. The official said Trump and Xi were unlikely to get into the fine details of the draft trade pact, although the case of Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies Co may come up during talks. Pressure on Huawei, which the US government has labelled a security threat, has increased in recent days. About a dozen rural US telecom carriers that depend on Huawei for network gear are in discussions with its biggest rivals, Ericsson and Nokia, to replace their Chinese equipment, sources familiar with the matter said. And the US-based research arm of Huawei - Futurewei Technologies Inc - has moved to separate its operations from its corporate parent since the US government in May put Huawei on a trade blacklist, according to two people familiar with the matter. Trump has indicated a willingness to include the Huawei issue in a trade deal, despite the national security implications cited by his advisers about the company. Meanwhile, US parcel delivery firm FedEx Corp on Monday sued the US government, saying it should not be held liable if it inadvertently shipped products that violated a Trump administration ban on exports to some Chinese companies. FedEx reignited Chinese ire over its business practices when a package containing a Huawei phone sent to the United States was returned last week to its sender in Britain, in what FedEx said was an "operational error."

US hopes to re-launch China trade talks, will not accept conditions on tariffs

PM Modi will be leaving for Osaka, Japan today for a three-day visit during which he will be meeting a host of world leaders and take part in the 14th G20 Summit. He will be arriving in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/g20-has-become-a-vital-forum-to-address-the-most-pressing-issues-brazil-ambassador-to-india-andre-aranha-correa-do-lago-230443">Osaka on 27th and on 28th and 29th</a>&nbsp;the Indian prime minister will take part in the G20 summit, his sixth since 2014 and first in his second term.

PM Modi's first bilateral on day one will be with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe. Japanese PM was the first foreign leader to congratulate PM Modi on phone on his re-election on May 23rd.

The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be visiting India later this year for the 14th India-Japan Annual Summit that alternates its location between India and Japan.

Last year PM Modi visited Japan for the 13th Annual Summit during which Japan announced it will be joining the New Delhi-led International Solar Alliance and signed a Currency Swap Agreement.&nbsp;

PM Modi will be taking part in more than ten bilaterals and pull-asides at the summit. He will be meeting US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron &nbsp;He met Chinese and Russian leaders on the sidelines of Shanghai cooperation organization Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan just two weeks ago.

The important trilaterals will also happen, the JAI meet - Japan, America, India grouping and RIC meet - Russia, India and China trilaterals. Besides this, a permanent fixture has been informal the BRICS Summit.

The informal meet between Modi-Xi during the informal BRICS summit at the 2017 Hamburg G20 acted as a major ice-breaker between the two countries in the backdrop of the Doklam crisis.

New Delhi is expected to strongly raise the issue of economic offenders and black money. Other than this climate change, counter-terrorism, disaster resilient infrastructure, reformed multilateralism, WTO reforms will be other focus for India.&nbsp;

The summit is happening in the backdrop of trade wars between World's number 1 and number 2 economies - US and China and Washington's diminishing commitment to global trade body - world trade organization(WTO).

The annual gathering of the world's power club will have plenty to talk about including the much talked about meeting between US president Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping to resolve issues on trade. The US-Iran tiff is also expected to dominate the discourse.

The theme of this year's summit under the Japanese Presidency is "human centred future society” and focus will be on a range of issues from Digital Economy and Artificial Intelligence to Inclusive and Sustainable World and pressing issues like Energy and Environment, Global Health, Climate change and Marine plastic waste.&nbsp;

G20 emerged in the backdrop of Asian financial crisis in 1999 when it was a forum of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of developing and developed countries.&nbsp;

After the 2008 global financial crisis, it took shape in its present forum and has summits across the world. G20 members represent around 85 per cent of global gross domestic product, over 75 per cent of global trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population.

PM Modi will be leaving for Osaka, Japan today for a three-day visit during which he will be meeting a host of world leaders and take part in the 14th G20 Summit.

PM Modi will be leaving for Osaka, Japan today for a three-day visit during which he will be meeting a host of world leaders and take part in the 14th G20 Summit. He will be arriving in Osaka on 27th and on 28th and 29th the Indian prime minister will take part in the G20 summit, his sixth since 2014 and first in his second term. PM Modi's first bilateral on day one will be with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe. Japanese PM was the first foreign leader to congratulate PM Modi on phone on his re-election on May 23rd. The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be visiting India later this year for the 14th India-Japan Annual Summit that alternates its location between India and Japan. Last year PM Modi visited Japan for the 13th Annual Summit during which Japan announced it will be joining the New Delhi-led International Solar Alliance and signed a Currency Swap Agreement. PM Modi will be taking part in more than ten bilaterals and pull-asides at the summit. He will be meeting US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron He met Chinese and Russian leaders on the sidelines of Shanghai cooperation organization Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan just two weeks ago. The important trilaterals will also happen, the JAI meet - Japan, America, India grouping and RIC meet - Russia, India and China trilaterals. Besides this, a permanent fixture has been informal the BRICS Summit. The informal meet between Modi-Xi during the informal BRICS summit at the 2017 Hamburg G20 acted as a major ice-breaker between the two countries in the backdrop of the Doklam crisis. New Delhi is expected to strongly raise the issue of economic offenders and black money. Other than this climate change, counter-terrorism, disaster resilient infrastructure, reformed multilateralism, WTO reforms will be other focus for India. The summit is happening in the backdrop of trade wars between World's number 1 and number 2 economies - US and China and Washington's diminishing commitment to global trade body - world trade organization(WTO). The annual gathering of the world's power club will have plenty to talk about including the much talked about meeting between US president Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping to resolve issues on trade. The US-Iran tiff is also expected to dominate the discourse. The theme of this year's summit under the Japanese Presidency is "human centred future society” and focus will be on a range of issues from Digital Economy and Artificial Intelligence to Inclusive and Sustainable World and pressing issues like Energy and Environment, Global Health, Climate change and Marine plastic waste. G20 emerged in the backdrop of Asian financial crisis in 1999 when it was a forum of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of developing and developed countries. After the 2008 global financial crisis, it took shape in its present forum and has summits across the world. G20 members represent around 85 per cent of global gross domestic product, over 75 per cent of global trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population.

PM Modi to leave for G20 Summit today; first bilateral meeting with Japan PM Shinzo Abe

A look at United States-China trade war in 10 dates

Top Chinese and US trade negotiators have held telephone talks ahead of a crunch meeting between presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump at the G20 summit this week, Chinese state media said Tuesday.

Vice Premier Liu He -- Xi's pointman in the trade war -- spoke with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday and they "exchanged opinions on economic and trade issues," according to the official Xinhua news agency.

The call took place "at the request of the US side" and the officials agreed to continue to maintain contact, Xinhua said.

Trump's highly anticipated meeting with Xi will take place on Saturday, the second day of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan, according to a US official.

The two leaders agreed to meet after negotiations broke down last month and both sides exchanged steep increases in tariffs on $260 billion in two-way trade.

Trump has since moved to blacklist China's top telecommunications company, Huawei. Beijing has responded by threatening to create its own list of "unreliable" companies and individuals.

'Uphold multilateralism'

Chinese officials said Monday that they will seek a united front against protectionism at the G20.

"Unilateralism and protectionism has damaged global growth... undermined global value chains and dampened market sentiment," Zhang Jun, the Chinese assistant minister of foreign affairs, said at a briefing to preview Xi's attendance at the summit.

"China will work with others at the G20 to firmly uphold multilateralism and an open, rule-based global trading order," Zhang said.

Trump has instigated trade battles with an array of countries and regions, from China to Japan, Mexico and the European Union, but Beijing's own economic policies have been criticised.

The US and the EU have accused Beijing of providing a lack of level playing field for foreign firms in China, allowing the theft of intellectual property and forcing international companies to hand their trade secrets to local partners.

Chinese vice minister for commerce Wang Shouwen said Monday that Washington and Beijing should make compromises.

Any talks between China and the US have to be based on "mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit and comply with WTO rules", Wang said.

He also urged the US to remove "inappropriate and discriminatory" barriers against Chinese companies, saying such moves jeopardise the interests of both Chinese and US firms -- an oblique reference to the US treatment of Huawei.

American officials have accused their Chinese counterparts of backsliding on commitments made in the talks, but Lighthizer said last week he was hopeful the discussions could resume productively.&nbsp;

"My speculation is that some forces in China decided that they had gone too far, went out beyond their mandate," he said. "I have trust and complete good faith in the people that I'm dealing with... My hope is we can get back on track."

Top Chinese and US trade negotiators have held telephone talks ahead of a crunch meeting between presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump at the G20 summit this week, Chinese state media said Tuesday.

Top Chinese and US trade negotiators have held telephone talks ahead of a crunch meeting between presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump at the G20 summit this week, Chinese state media said Tuesday. Vice Premier Liu He -- Xi's pointman in the trade war -- spoke with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday and they "exchanged opinions on economic and trade issues," according to the official Xinhua news agency. The call took place "at the request of the US side" and the officials agreed to continue to maintain contact, Xinhua said. Trump's highly anticipated meeting with Xi will take place on Saturday, the second day of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan, according to a US official. The two leaders agreed to meet after negotiations broke down last month and both sides exchanged steep increases in tariffs on $260 billion in two-way trade. Trump has since moved to blacklist China's top telecommunications company, Huawei. Beijing has responded by threatening to create its own list of "unreliable" companies and individuals. 'Uphold multilateralism' Chinese officials said Monday that they will seek a united front against protectionism at the G20. "Unilateralism and protectionism has damaged global growth... undermined global value chains and dampened market sentiment," Zhang Jun, the Chinese assistant minister of foreign affairs, said at a briefing to preview Xi's attendance at the summit. "China will work with others at the G20 to firmly uphold multilateralism and an open, rule-based global trading order," Zhang said. Trump has instigated trade battles with an array of countries and regions, from China to Japan, Mexico and the European Union, but Beijing's own economic policies have been criticised. The US and the EU have accused Beijing of providing a lack of level playing field for foreign firms in China, allowing the theft of intellectual property and forcing international companies to hand their trade secrets to local partners. Chinese vice minister for commerce Wang Shouwen said Monday that Washington and Beijing should make compromises. Any talks between China and the US have to be based on "mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit and comply with WTO rules", Wang said. He also urged the US to remove "inappropriate and discriminatory" barriers against Chinese companies, saying such moves jeopardise the interests of both Chinese and US firms -- an oblique reference to the US treatment of Huawei. American officials have accused their Chinese counterparts of backsliding on commitments made in the talks, but Lighthizer said last week he was hopeful the discussions could resume productively. "My speculation is that some forces in China decided that they had gone too far, went out beyond their mandate," he said. "I have trust and complete good faith in the people that I'm dealing with... My hope is we can get back on track."

US-China trade negotiators hold talks ahead of Xi-Trump meeting: Report

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/forget-bitcoin-millionaires-bezos-gates-may-become-trillionaires-29476">Bitcoin</a> surged to a near 16-month high above $11,000 Monday, overshadowing showings across stock, foreign exchange and commodity markets, with investors looking ahead to the week's G20 summit.

Bitcoin reached $11,251.21, surpassing $10,000 for the first time since March last year, as the cryptocurrency sector got a huge boost from Facebook's unveiling of its own digital unit Libra, analysts said.&nbsp;

"The strong resurgence in the bitcoin price is mainly due to the renewed mainstreaming interest in cryptocurrencies and the technology which underlines them," Naeem Aslam, an analyst at trading group ThinkMarkets, said.

"Projects like Facebook's Libra have provided a much-needed tailwind for this space."

The social network plans to launch Libra next year, with the backing by a basket of real-world currencies and a consortium of companies including Visa, MasterCard, PayPal and Uber.

"<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/bitcoin-trading-volume-hits-two-year-low-in-march-208110">Bitcoin</a> volatility is likely to persist, with $12,000 and $15,000 as the next two critical resistance levels," said OANDA senior market analyst Edward Moya.

Bitcoin has risen about 20 per cent this month alone but is still well off record levels near $20,000 seen at the end of 2017.

Elsewhere Monday, oil prices nudged higher as rising US-Iran tensions continued to fuel supply concerns.

Stock markets were largely steady ahead of a crunch meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the weekend summit of 20 major economies.

Markets are waiting to see if Trump and Xi can break an impasse in their trade war when they meet on the sidelines of the event in Japan.

Global equities last week rallied after Trump hailed positive telephone talks between the pair, fuelling hopes of a possible end to their long-running tariffs battle.

"No one thinks the US and China will do a deal in Osaka, but there is some hope that we will have a positive development that marks a shift in the rhetoric and a re-energising of talks following the breakdown in the recent discussions," said Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at Markets.com.

The dollar meanwhile dropped Monday, continuing to face pressure from expectations that the Federal Reserve could lower US interest rates as soon as July as the economy shows signs of softening amid the trade war with China.

Bitcoin surged to a near 16-month high above $11,000 Monday, overshadowing showings across stock, foreign exchange and commodity markets, with investors looking ahead to the week's G20 summit.

Bitcoin surged to a near 16-month high above $11,000 Monday, overshadowing showings across stock, foreign exchange and commodity markets, with investors looking ahead to the week's G20 summit. Bitcoin reached $11,251.21, surpassing $10,000 for the first time since March last year, as the cryptocurrency sector got a huge boost from Facebook's unveiling of its own digital unit Libra, analysts said. "The strong resurgence in the bitcoin price is mainly due to the renewed mainstreaming interest in cryptocurrencies and the technology which underlines them," Naeem Aslam, an analyst at trading group ThinkMarkets, said. "Projects like Facebook's Libra have provided a much-needed tailwind for this space." The social network plans to launch Libra next year, with the backing by a basket of real-world currencies and a consortium of companies including Visa, MasterCard, PayPal and Uber. "Bitcoin volatility is likely to persist, with $12,000 and $15,000 as the next two critical resistance levels," said OANDA senior market analyst Edward Moya. Bitcoin has risen about 20 per cent this month alone but is still well off record levels near $20,000 seen at the end of 2017. Elsewhere Monday, oil prices nudged higher as rising US-Iran tensions continued to fuel supply concerns. Stock markets were largely steady ahead of a crunch meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the weekend summit of 20 major economies. Markets are waiting to see if Trump and Xi can break an impasse in their trade war when they meet on the sidelines of the event in Japan. Global equities last week rallied after Trump hailed positive telephone talks between the pair, fuelling hopes of a possible end to their long-running tariffs battle. "No one thinks the US and China will do a deal in Osaka, but there is some hope that we will have a positive development that marks a shift in the rhetoric and a re-energising of talks following the breakdown in the recent discussions," said Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at Markets.com. The dollar meanwhile dropped Monday, continuing to face pressure from expectations that the Federal Reserve could lower US interest rates as soon as July as the economy shows signs of softening amid the trade war with China.

After Facebook's cryptocurrency Libra, Bitcoin surges above $11,000

China's President Xi Jinping will attend the G20 summit in Japan next week, state-run Xinhua news agency said on Sunday, giving the first official confirmation of his attendance at a gathering where he is expected to meet US President Donald Trump.

The G20 summit will be held in the city of Osaka on June 27-29. Xinhua did not give further details.

Xi's meeting with Trump could be pivotal to getting negotiations back on track to de-escalate the US-China trade war.

China's President Xi Jinping will attend the G20 summit in Japan next week, state-run Xinhua news agency said on Sunday, giving the first official confirmation of his attendance at a gathering where he is expected to meet US President Donald Trump.

China's President Xi Jinping will attend the G20 summit in Japan next week, state-run Xinhua news agency said on Sunday, giving the first official confirmation of his attendance at a gathering where he is expected to meet US President Donald Trump. The G20 summit will be held in the city of Osaka on June 27-29. Xinhua did not give further details. Xi's meeting with Trump could be pivotal to getting negotiations back on track to de-escalate the US-China trade war.

China's President Xi to attend G20 summit from June 27-29: Report

The US Commerce Department blacklisted five Chinese tech entities Friday in a new move against Beijing's supercomputing industry likely to raise tensions ahead of a meeting between President Trump and Xi Jinping next week.

The notice targets Sugon -- a prominent Chinese supercomputer manufacturer -- along with three of its microchip subsidiaries and a computing institute owned by the People's Liberation Army.

All of the entities will be effectively barred from obtaining US technology after the government determined they were "acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States."

Trade tensions between the world's top two economies have spilled over into the tech sector in recent months, with Trump's administration moving to essentially ban Chinese tech firm <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/huawei-phone-sales-plunge-cutbacks-planned-as-us-pressure-bites-227979">Huawei</a> from the huge US market on security grounds.

In May, it added Huawei to an "entity list" of companies barred from receiving US-made components without permission from Washington, though the company was granted a 90-day reprieve.

Facebook and Google have since both announced they will move to cut off Huawei in order to comply with the US sanctions, further isolating the Chinese tech giant.

Beijing has responded with threats to release its own blacklist of "unreliable" foreign companies and individuals that appears aimed at pressuring foreign companies to maintain commercial relations with Huawei.

Earlier this month, Beijing summoned executives from American firms Dell and Microsoft and South Korea's Samsung, among others, to warn them that any moves to ramp down their businesses in China may lead to retaliation, The New York Times reported.

Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi are set to meet next week on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan.

The US Commerce Department blacklisted five Chinese tech entities Friday in a new move against Beijing's supercomputing industry likely to raise tensions ahead of a meeting between President Trump and Xi Jinping next week.

The US Commerce Department blacklisted five Chinese tech entities Friday in a new move against Beijing's supercomputing industry likely to raise tensions ahead of a meeting between President Trump and Xi Jinping next week. The notice targets Sugon -- a prominent Chinese supercomputer manufacturer -- along with three of its microchip subsidiaries and a computing institute owned by the People's Liberation Army. All of the entities will be effectively barred from obtaining US technology after the government determined they were "acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States." Trade tensions between the world's top two economies have spilled over into the tech sector in recent months, with Trump's administration moving to essentially ban Chinese tech firm Huawei from the huge US market on security grounds. In May, it added Huawei to an "entity list" of companies barred from receiving US-made components without permission from Washington, though the company was granted a 90-day reprieve. Facebook and Google have since both announced they will move to cut off Huawei in order to comply with the US sanctions, further isolating the Chinese tech giant. Beijing has responded with threats to release its own blacklist of "unreliable" foreign companies and individuals that appears aimed at pressuring foreign companies to maintain commercial relations with Huawei. Earlier this month, Beijing summoned executives from American firms Dell and Microsoft and South Korea's Samsung, among others, to warn them that any moves to ramp down their businesses in China may lead to retaliation, The New York Times reported. Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi are set to meet next week on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan.

US blocks more Chinese tech firms on national security concerns

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and China's<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/xi-kim-say-boosting-china-north-korea-ties-good-for-regional-peace-report-229051"> President Xi Jinping</a> reached a consensus on "important issues," and agreed to build on their countries' friendly relations "whatever the international situation," North Korean state media reported.

Xi left the North Korean capital Pyongyang on Friday after a two-day visit, the first by a Chinese leader in 14 years. State-run news agency KCNA issued a report on Saturday of the results of the visit.

China is North Korea's only major ally and Xi's visit was aimed at bolstering the isolated country against pressure from United Nations sanctions over its nuclear and missile programmes and stalled denuclearisation talks with the United States.

The visit comes a week before Xi and US President Donald Trump are due to meet at a Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan, amid a trade dispute that has rattled global financial markets.

KCNA reported that during a luncheon on the final day of Xi's visit the leaders discussed plans to strengthen collaboration, as well as their countries' "major internal and external policies", while exchanging views on domestic and international issues of mutual concern.

An editorial in the official China Daily on Saturday warned that Xi's short visit to Pyongyang would not solve all the region's problems, but pledges to help develop the North Korean economy were the right way forward.

"The world may hope that the Chinese leader has the magic touch that can turn stone to gold, but it is unrealistic to expect that Xi can solve all the peninsula issues with a two-day visit — even if Beijing has always been the most reliable and considerate partner to Pyongyang," it said.

"Yet Xi has touched the right stone by focusing on economic cooperation to help bring the DPRK in from the cold," it added.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and China's President Xi Jinping reached a consensus on "important issues," and agreed to build on their countries' friendly relations "whatever the international situation," North Korean state media reported.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and China's President Xi Jinping reached a consensus on "important issues," and agreed to build on their countries' friendly relations "whatever the international situation," North Korean state media reported. Xi left the North Korean capital Pyongyang on Friday after a two-day visit, the first by a Chinese leader in 14 years. State-run news agency KCNA issued a report on Saturday of the results of the visit. China is North Korea's only major ally and Xi's visit was aimed at bolstering the isolated country against pressure from United Nations sanctions over its nuclear and missile programmes and stalled denuclearisation talks with the United States. The visit comes a week before Xi and US President Donald Trump are due to meet at a Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan, amid a trade dispute that has rattled global financial markets. KCNA reported that during a luncheon on the final day of Xi's visit the leaders discussed plans to strengthen collaboration, as well as their countries' "major internal and external policies", while exchanging views on domestic and international issues of mutual concern. An editorial in the official China Daily on Saturday warned that Xi's short visit to Pyongyang would not solve all the region's problems, but pledges to help develop the North Korean economy were the right way forward. "The world may hope that the Chinese leader has the magic touch that can turn stone to gold, but it is unrealistic to expect that Xi can solve all the peninsula issues with a two-day visit — even if Beijing has always been the most reliable and considerate partner to Pyongyang," it said. "Yet Xi has touched the right stone by focusing on economic cooperation to help bring the DPRK in from the cold," it added.

Kim Jong-un, Xi Jinping agree to grow ties whatever external situation: Report

Pyongyang's relationship with Beijing is "invincible" because the countries both endured Japanese rule, North Korea said Saturday, the day after the Chinese President's highly symbolic visit ended.

The commentary, an official North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun, comes shortly before the G20 summit in Japan where US President Donald Trump will meet with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/americas/donald-trump-xi-jinping-and-trade-a-high-stakes-game-of-chicken-216697">China's Xi Jinping</a>.

With Beijing and Washington at loggerheads over trade, China is keen to remind Trump of its influence with nuclear-armed Pyongyang, while increasingly looking to Japan, a key US ally in the region, to serve as a hedge against growing American protectionism.

Relations between Tokyo, Beijing, and both Koreas are still heavily affected by Japan's expansionism in the first half of the 20th century, with Pyongyang's state media criticizing Japan on a near-daily basis.

Saturday's Rodong Sinmun dedicated five pages to the second day of Xi's visit to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/seoul-to-seek-meetings-with-pyongyang-to-revive-dialogue-with-washington-202799">Pyongyang</a>, and carried a separate editorial stating how the "sacred period of the anti-Japanese struggle has become the foundation of the DPRK-China friendship".

"DPRK-China relationship is an invincible friendship that firmly combines military camaraderie and trust," it stated, using the abbreviation of North Korea's official name.

Xi, in a rare opinion piece penned for the newspaper earlier this week, also said citizens of the countries jointly opposed a "foreign invasion" and supported each other in the pursuit of socialism.

Like North Korea, Beijing's Communist authorities also regularly denounce Tokyo over historical issues.

Xi is the first Chinese president to visit North Korea in 14 years after relations deteriorated over Pyongyang's nuclear programs and Beijing's subsequent backing of UN sanctions.

But when Kim embarked on a flurry of diplomacy last year, Xi as the leader of North Korea's main trading partner and key aid provider was the first head of state he met.

As Kim expands his diplomatic circle, Japan finds itself battling to remain involved in North Korean discussions.

Tokyo, one of the most hawkish of the major powers on the isolated North, has received some of Pyongyang's harshest rhetoric as well as missiles launched over its territory.&nbsp;

The dovish South Korean President Moon Jae-in who brokered nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang has also stressed the independence struggle against Japan is at the heart of both Koreas' national identity.

Seoul and Pyongyang's whirlwind of diplomacy has died down since a second Trump-Kim summit in February ended without a deal, and analysts say North Korea now may seek a new mediator for its deadlocked negotiations with Washington.

North Korea's official news agency KCNA also wrote Kim and Xi had reached an agreement on "important issues" in their five summits over the past year.

Pyongyang's relationship with Beijing is "invincible" because the countries both endured Japanese rule, North Korea said Saturday, the day after the Chinese President's highly symbolic visit ended.

Pyongyang's relationship with Beijing is "invincible" because the countries both endured Japanese rule, North Korea said Saturday, the day after the Chinese President's highly symbolic visit ended. The commentary, an official North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun, comes shortly before the G20 summit in Japan where US President Donald Trump will meet with China's Xi Jinping. With Beijing and Washington at loggerheads over trade, China is keen to remind Trump of its influence with nuclear-armed Pyongyang, while increasingly looking to Japan, a key US ally in the region, to serve as a hedge against growing American protectionism. Relations between Tokyo, Beijing, and both Koreas are still heavily affected by Japan's expansionism in the first half of the 20th century, with Pyongyang's state media criticizing Japan on a near-daily basis. Saturday's Rodong Sinmun dedicated five pages to the second day of Xi's visit to Pyongyang, and carried a separate editorial stating how the "sacred period of the anti-Japanese struggle has become the foundation of the DPRK-China friendship". "DPRK-China relationship is an invincible friendship that firmly combines military camaraderie and trust," it stated, using the abbreviation of North Korea's official name. Xi, in a rare opinion piece penned for the newspaper earlier this week, also said citizens of the countries jointly opposed a "foreign invasion" and supported each other in the pursuit of socialism. Like North Korea, Beijing's Communist authorities also regularly denounce Tokyo over historical issues. Xi is the first Chinese president to visit North Korea in 14 years after relations deteriorated over Pyongyang's nuclear programs and Beijing's subsequent backing of UN sanctions. But when Kim embarked on a flurry of diplomacy last year, Xi as the leader of North Korea's main trading partner and key aid provider was the first head of state he met. As Kim expands his diplomatic circle, Japan finds itself battling to remain involved in North Korean discussions. Tokyo, one of the most hawkish of the major powers on the isolated North, has received some of Pyongyang's harshest rhetoric as well as missiles launched over its territory. The dovish South Korean President Moon Jae-in who brokered nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang has also stressed the independence struggle against Japan is at the heart of both Koreas' national identity. Seoul and Pyongyang's whirlwind of diplomacy has died down since a second Trump-Kim summit in February ended without a deal, and analysts say North Korea now may seek a new mediator for its deadlocked negotiations with Washington. North Korea's official news agency KCNA also wrote Kim and Xi had reached an agreement on "important issues" in their five summits over the past year.

North Korea reminds China of colonial history to strengthen ties

The top leaders of China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) watched a large group callisthenics and art performance with their wives at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang on Thursday evening.

When General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan went to the rostrum of the stadium with Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol Ju, the audience of ten thousand people stood up and greeted them with thunderous cheers.

Starting with a grand firework show, the performance was specially designed for Xi's visit and presented achievements in the development of the DPRK’s socialist undertakings. It expressed the DPRK people’s longing for a better life, their earnest aspiration to carry on the China-DPRK friendship and their warm welcome to Xi’s visit.

The performance ended when Xi and Kim, together with the audience, burst into long-lasting applause for the excellent show put up by the artists.

The Chinese side presented flower baskets to the DPRK side to congratulate the successful performance.

Xi and his wife Peng, together with Kim and his wife Ri, stepped onto the stage to thank the DPRK artists and people, and had a group photo taken with them.

Xi arrived in Pyongyang earlier Thursday for a state visit to the DPRK. The visit, Xi's first as the top CPC leader and Chinese head of state and also the first of its kind in 14 years, came as the two neighboring countries are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relationship.

The top leaders of China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) watched a large group callisthenics and art performance with their wives at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang on Thursday evening.

The top leaders of China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) watched a large group callisthenics and art performance with their wives at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang on Thursday evening. When General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan went to the rostrum of the stadium with Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol Ju, the audience of ten thousand people stood up and greeted them with thunderous cheers. Starting with a grand firework show, the performance was specially designed for Xi's visit and presented achievements in the development of the DPRK’s socialist undertakings. It expressed the DPRK people’s longing for a better life, their earnest aspiration to carry on the China-DPRK friendship and their warm welcome to Xi’s visit. The performance ended when Xi and Kim, together with the audience, burst into long-lasting applause for the excellent show put up by the artists. The Chinese side presented flower baskets to the DPRK side to congratulate the successful performance. Xi and his wife Peng, together with Kim and his wife Ri, stepped onto the stage to thank the DPRK artists and people, and had a group photo taken with them. Xi arrived in Pyongyang earlier Thursday for a state visit to the DPRK. The visit, Xi's first as the top CPC leader and Chinese head of state and also the first of its kind in 14 years, came as the two neighboring countries are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relationship.

Top leaders of China, North Korea watch grand performance

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Gravitas: Highlights from Xi Jinping's visit to Pyongyang

Here's All You Need To Know About Xi Jinping's Visit To North Korea

Gravitas: Xi Jinping's Two-Day visit to North Korea : What to expect?

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/us-has-no-plans-to-cap-h-1b-work-visa-program-state-department-229065">US has no plans to cap H-1B work visa programme: State Department</a>

The Trump administration has no plans to cap H-1B work visas for nations that force foreign companies to store data locally, the State Department said on Thursday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-hard-to-believe-iranian-shooting-down-of-us-drone-was-intentional-229050">Trump says hard to believe Iranian shooting down of US drone was intentional</a>

US President Donald Trump played down Iran's downing of a US military surveillance drone on Thursday, saying he suspected it was shot by mistake and "it would have made a big difference" to him had the remotely controlled aircraft been piloted.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/yoga-for-heart-care-this-years-theme-pm-modi-in-ranchi-229057">Yoga for 'heart care' this year's theme: PM Modi in Ranchi</a>

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that ''yoga for heart care'' will be the theme for this year and that world is accepting yoga practices.

Modi addressed around 30,000 people at Prabhat Tara ground in Ranchi on the occasion of International Day of Yoga.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/xi-kim-say-boosting-china-north-korea-ties-good-for-regional-peace-report-229051">Xi, Kim say boosting China-North Korea ties good for regional peace: Report</a>

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that amid "serious and complicated" international affairs strengthening bilateral ties was good for both countries and regional peace, North Korean state media KCNA said on Friday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/ahead-of-india-visit-pompeo-makes-congratulatory-call-to-jaishankar-229056">Ahead of India visit, Pompeo makes congratulatory call to Jaishankar&nbsp;</a>

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Thursday spoke with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and underscored the Trump administration's strong commitment to work closely with India to advance the bilateral strategic partnership, a top official has said.

US has no plans to cap H-1B work visa programme: State Department The Trump administration has no plans to cap H-1B work visas for nations that force foreign companies to store data locally, the State Department said on Thursday.

US has no plans to cap H-1B work visa programme: State Department The Trump administration has no plans to cap H-1B work visas for nations that force foreign companies to store data locally, the State Department said on Thursday. Trump says hard to believe Iranian shooting down of US drone was intentional US President Donald Trump played down Iran's downing of a US military surveillance drone on Thursday, saying he suspected it was shot by mistake and "it would have made a big difference" to him had the remotely controlled aircraft been piloted. Yoga for 'heart care' this year's theme: PM Modi in Ranchi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that ''yoga for heart care'' will be the theme for this year and that world is accepting yoga practices. Modi addressed around 30,000 people at Prabhat Tara ground in Ranchi on the occasion of International Day of Yoga. Xi, Kim say boosting China-North Korea ties good for regional peace: Report North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that amid "serious and complicated" international affairs strengthening bilateral ties was good for both countries and regional peace, North Korean state media KCNA said on Friday. Ahead of India visit, Pompeo makes congratulatory call to Jaishankar US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Thursday spoke with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and underscored the Trump administration's strong commitment to work closely with India to advance the bilateral strategic partnership, a top official has said.

News brief: Big stories of the day

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that amid "serious and complicated" international affairs strengthening bilateral ties was good for both countries and regional peace, North Korean state media KCNA said on Friday.

Xi arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday for a two-day visit aimed at bolstering an ally under pressure from UN sanctions over its nuclear and missile programmes and a breakdown in denuclearisation talks with the United States.

The visit, the first by a Chinese leader in 14 years, comes a week before Xi and US President Donald Trump meet at the G20 summit in Osaka amid an ongoing trade dispute.

Kim said Xi's visit, which may see China bring fresh support for North Korea's floundering, sanctions-bound economy, was "crucial" to show the world the unchanging friendship between the two countries, KCNA said.

China is the North's only major ally.

Xi said Beijing and Pyongyang agreed that a political settlement of the Korean Peninsula's nuclear issue has been "an inevitable trend," and that they need to continue to stick to peace talks, according to China's Xinhua.

The two leaders agreed to have close strategic communication and deepen cooperation in various fields, KCNA said.

On Thursday, Xi praised Pyongyang's efforts towards denuclearisation and said the world hopes North Korea and the United States can talk to each other and for those talks to be successful.

Since a failed summit between Trump and Kim in Hanoi earlier this year, Pyongyang has conducted some weapons tests and warned of "truly undesired consequences" if the United States is not more flexible.

At a dinner banquet on Thursday, Xi said China firmly supported Kim seeking a political solution to the Korean Peninsula issue and the establishment of a great environment for self-development via "a new strategic route", according to KCNA.

Reflecting the close bond between China and North Korea, Xi viewed a mass gymnastics and arts performance titled "Undefeated Socialism" with Kim at the May Day stadium on Thursday evening.

KCNA said the performance was specially prepared for the Chinese goodwill visit and included songs such as "Without the Communist Party, there is no new China" and "I love you, China".

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that amid "serious and complicated" international affairs strengthening bilateral ties was good for both countries and regional peace, North Korean state media KCNA said on Friday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that amid "serious and complicated" international affairs strengthening bilateral ties was good for both countries and regional peace, North Korean state media KCNA said on Friday. Xi arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday for a two-day visit aimed at bolstering an ally under pressure from UN sanctions over its nuclear and missile programmes and a breakdown in denuclearisation talks with the United States. The visit, the first by a Chinese leader in 14 years, comes a week before Xi and US President Donald Trump meet at the G20 summit in Osaka amid an ongoing trade dispute. Kim said Xi's visit, which may see China bring fresh support for North Korea's floundering, sanctions-bound economy, was "crucial" to show the world the unchanging friendship between the two countries, KCNA said. China is the North's only major ally. Xi said Beijing and Pyongyang agreed that a political settlement of the Korean Peninsula's nuclear issue has been "an inevitable trend," and that they need to continue to stick to peace talks, according to China's Xinhua. The two leaders agreed to have close strategic communication and deepen cooperation in various fields, KCNA said. On Thursday, Xi praised Pyongyang's efforts towards denuclearisation and said the world hopes North Korea and the United States can talk to each other and for those talks to be successful. Since a failed summit between Trump and Kim in Hanoi earlier this year, Pyongyang has conducted some weapons tests and warned of "truly undesired consequences" if the United States is not more flexible. At a dinner banquet on Thursday, Xi said China firmly supported Kim seeking a political solution to the Korean Peninsula issue and the establishment of a great environment for self-development via "a new strategic route", according to KCNA. Reflecting the close bond between China and North Korea, Xi viewed a mass gymnastics and arts performance titled "Undefeated Socialism" with Kim at the May Day stadium on Thursday evening. KCNA said the performance was specially prepared for the Chinese goodwill visit and included songs such as "Without the Communist Party, there is no new China" and "I love you, China".

Xi, Kim say boosting China-North Korea ties good for regional peace: Report

President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday on a historic trip to reboot a troubled alliance, as he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un face their own challenges with US President Donald Trump.

Xi is the first Chinese president to visit North Korea in 14 years after relations between the Cold War era allies deteriorated over Pyongyang's nuclear provocations and Beijing's subsequent backing of UN sanctions.

Xi and Kim have been working to repair ties, with the young North Korean leader visiting his older ally four times in China in the past year and Beijing calling for sanctions to be relaxed.

But the Chinese leader waited to reciprocate the visit, biding his time to see how nuclear talks between Kim and Trump would play out before deciding to travel to Pyongyang, according to analysts.

Xi, who will pay a two-day state visit, arrived in North Korea late Thursday morning, China's CCTV said.

He is visiting with his wife Peng Liyuan, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and other officials, according to Chinese state media.

In Pyongyang, Chinese flags hung throughout the city and residents have lined the streets to welcome Xi.

The Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the mouthpiece of the ruling party, devoted the top half of its front page to Xi's visit, with a colour picture of him accompanying a profile.

In an editorial, it said his trip will "engrave a new, enduring page in the history of DPRK-China friendship".

"The visit to our country that comes despite the emergence of urgent and important tasks due to complex international relations clearly shows that the Chinese party and government are putting high importance on the DPRK-China friendship," it went on.

"Our people are proud of having a trustworthy and close friend like the Chinese people."

Authorities have imposed tight control on coverage of the visit. International journalists in Pyongyang were told they would not be able to cover it, while foreign media organisations that were initially invited to attend were unable to obtain visas.

Sources say the Chinese media delegation accompanying Xi was also reduced in size from initial plans.

The visit will be largely symbolic, with no formal joint communique expected -- as was the case with Kim's April summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok, Russia.

Analysts say the trip is a chance for China to showcase its influence in the region.

"For North Korea, the coming meeting will serve to show the US that China has its back and to send a message to Washington it should stop its maximum pressure posture," said Lim Eul-Chul, professor of North Korean studies at Kyungnam University.

Negotiations between Trump and Kim soured after the second summit in February broke up without a deal, with the two men failing to agree on what Pyongyang would be willing to give up in exchange for sanctions relief.

But Chinese state news agency Xinhua in a commentary published Thursday said "hope remains alive and kicking" on resolving the nuclear standoff.

In a rare opinion piece published in Rodong Sinmun on Wednesday, Xi hailed the "irreplaceable" friendship between North Korea and China and offered a "grand plan" to bring permanent stability to East Asia.

He also vowed that Beijing would play an active role in "strengthening communication and coordination with North Korea and other relevant parties" to push forward negotiations on the Korean Peninsula.

After Beijing's own trade negotiations with Washington hit a wall last month, some analysts believe Xi could come back from Pyongyang with leverage for his meeting with Trump at the G20 summit in Japan next week.

But Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang has dismissed the suggestion that Beijing's close ties with Pyongyang could be used to pressure the US, saying "people with such an idea are just over-thinking".

China sees the North as a strategic buffer from South Korea, keeping the 28,500 US troops in South Korea far from its borders, and Xi's trip will include a visit to pay homage at Pyongyang's Friendship Tower, a monument to the Chinese troops who saved the North from defeat during the Korean War.

In recent days, soldiers and workers have been sprucing it up before the visit.

Beijing has fretted over being sidelined after the North Korean leader agreed to meet Trump last year, with the US leader going as far as declaring he had fallen "in love" with Kim.

And experts said Xi's editorial was a not-so-subtle reminder that Beijing remains Pyongyang's closest ally.

Zhao Tong, North Korea expert at the Carnegie Tsinghua Center think tank in Beijing, said he does not expect any "substantive discussions" on denuclearisation during the meeting, because "China and North Korea do not have enough mutual trust".

President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday on a historic trip to reboot a troubled alliance, as he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un face their own challenges with US President Donald Trump.

President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday on a historic trip to reboot a troubled alliance, as he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un face their own challenges with US President Donald Trump. Xi is the first Chinese president to visit North Korea in 14 years after relations between the Cold War era allies deteriorated over Pyongyang's nuclear provocations and Beijing's subsequent backing of UN sanctions. Xi and Kim have been working to repair ties, with the young North Korean leader visiting his older ally four times in China in the past year and Beijing calling for sanctions to be relaxed. But the Chinese leader waited to reciprocate the visit, biding his time to see how nuclear talks between Kim and Trump would play out before deciding to travel to Pyongyang, according to analysts. Xi, who will pay a two-day state visit, arrived in North Korea late Thursday morning, China's CCTV said. He is visiting with his wife Peng Liyuan, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and other officials, according to Chinese state media. In Pyongyang, Chinese flags hung throughout the city and residents have lined the streets to welcome Xi. The Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the mouthpiece of the ruling party, devoted the top half of its front page to Xi's visit, with a colour picture of him accompanying a profile. In an editorial, it said his trip will "engrave a new, enduring page in the history of DPRK-China friendship". "The visit to our country that comes despite the emergence of urgent and important tasks due to complex international relations clearly shows that the Chinese party and government are putting high importance on the DPRK-China friendship," it went on. "Our people are proud of having a trustworthy and close friend like the Chinese people." Authorities have imposed tight control on coverage of the visit. International journalists in Pyongyang were told they would not be able to cover it, while foreign media organisations that were initially invited to attend were unable to obtain visas. Sources say the Chinese media delegation accompanying Xi was also reduced in size from initial plans. The visit will be largely symbolic, with no formal joint communique expected -- as was the case with Kim's April summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok, Russia. Analysts say the trip is a chance for China to showcase its influence in the region. "For North Korea, the coming meeting will serve to show the US that China has its back and to send a message to Washington it should stop its maximum pressure posture," said Lim Eul-Chul, professor of North Korean studies at Kyungnam University. Negotiations between Trump and Kim soured after the second summit in February broke up without a deal, with the two men failing to agree on what Pyongyang would be willing to give up in exchange for sanctions relief. But Chinese state news agency Xinhua in a commentary published Thursday said "hope remains alive and kicking" on resolving the nuclear standoff. In a rare opinion piece published in Rodong Sinmun on Wednesday, Xi hailed the "irreplaceable" friendship between North Korea and China and offered a "grand plan" to bring permanent stability to East Asia. He also vowed that Beijing would play an active role in "strengthening communication and coordination with North Korea and other relevant parties" to push forward negotiations on the Korean Peninsula. After Beijing's own trade negotiations with Washington hit a wall last month, some analysts believe Xi could come back from Pyongyang with leverage for his meeting with Trump at the G20 summit in Japan next week. But Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang has dismissed the suggestion that Beijing's close ties with Pyongyang could be used to pressure the US, saying "people with such an idea are just over-thinking". China sees the North as a strategic buffer from South Korea, keeping the 28,500 US troops in South Korea far from its borders, and Xi's trip will include a visit to pay homage at Pyongyang's Friendship Tower, a monument to the Chinese troops who saved the North from defeat during the Korean War. In recent days, soldiers and workers have been sprucing it up before the visit. Beijing has fretted over being sidelined after the North Korean leader agreed to meet Trump last year, with the US leader going as far as declaring he had fallen "in love" with Kim. And experts said Xi's editorial was a not-so-subtle reminder that Beijing remains Pyongyang's closest ally. Zhao Tong, North Korea expert at the Carnegie Tsinghua Center think tank in Beijing, said he does not expect any "substantive discussions" on denuclearisation during the meeting, because "China and North Korea do not have enough mutual trust".

Xi Jinping first Chinese leader to visit North Korea in 14 years, to meet Kim ahead of Trump talks

Chinese President Xi Jinping makes a historic trip to Pyongyang on Thursday, rebooting a troubled alliance as he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un face their own challenges with US President Donald Trump.

Xi will be the first Chinese president to visit North Korea in 14 years after relations between the Cold War era allies deteriorated over Pyongyang's nuclear provocations and Beijing's subsequent backing of UN sanctions.

Xi and Kim have been working to repair ties, with the young North Korean leader visiting his older comrade four times in China in the past year and Beijing calling for sanctions to be relaxed.

But the Chinese leader waited to reciprocate the visit, biding his time to see how nuclear talks between Kim and Trump would play out before deciding to travel to Pyongyang, according to analysts.

Xi's two-day visit is a chance for China to showcase its influence in the region.

"For North Korea, the coming meeting will serve to show the US that China has its back and to send a message to Washington it should stop its maximum pressure posture," said Lim Eul-chul, professor of North Korean studies at Kyungnam University.

Negotiations between Trump and Kim have soured after a second summit in February broke up without a deal, failing to agree on what Pyongyang would be willing to give up in exchange for sanctions relief.

Beijing's own trade negotiations with Washington hit a wall last month.

Xi could come back from Pyongyang with some leverage when he meets Trump at the G20 summit in Japan next week.

Serious Mistake

In a rare opinion piece published in North Korea's official newspaper on Wednesday, Xi hailed the "irreplaceable" friendship of the neighbouring nations and offered a "grand plan" to bring permanent stability to East Asia.

He also vowed that Beijing would play an active role in "strengthening communication and coordination with North Korea and other relevant parties" to push forward negotiations on the Korean Peninsula.

Beijing had fretted over being sidelined after the North Korean leader agreed to meet Trump last year, with the US leader going as far as declaring he had fallen "in love" with Kim.

The editorial was a not-so-subtle reminder that Beijing remains Pyongyang's closest ally.

China sees the North as a strategic buffer from South Korea, keeping the 28,500 US troops in South Korea far from its borders.

Xi, who will be given the honour of a state visit, will pay homage at the capital's Friendship Tower, a monument to the Chinese troops who saved the North from defeat during the Korean War.

In recent days soldiers and workers have been sprucing it up.

Yongwook Ryu, professor of international relations at the National University of Singapore, said Xi could be making a "serious mistake" if he tries to use North Korea as a bargaining chip with Trump, because the US leader separates security issues from economic ones.

"If Xi can put pressure on North Korea to denuclearise i.e. offer some carrot to Trump, then he could perhaps get a concession from Trump or make a trade deal with Trump more likely," Ryu said.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang has dismissed concerns that Beijing's close ties with Pyongyang could be used to put pressure on the US, saying "people with such an idea are just over-thinking."

Zhao Tong, North Korea expert at the Carnegie Tsinghua Center think tank in Beijing, said he does not expect any "substantive discussions" on denuclearisation during the meeting, because "China and North Korea do not have enough mutual trust."

Chinese President Xi Jinping makes a historic trip to Pyongyang on Thursday, rebooting a troubled alliance as he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un face their own challenges with US President Donald Trump.

Chinese President Xi Jinping makes a historic trip to Pyongyang on Thursday, rebooting a troubled alliance as he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un face their own challenges with US President Donald Trump. Xi will be the first Chinese president to visit North Korea in 14 years after relations between the Cold War era allies deteriorated over Pyongyang's nuclear provocations and Beijing's subsequent backing of UN sanctions. Xi and Kim have been working to repair ties, with the young North Korean leader visiting his older comrade four times in China in the past year and Beijing calling for sanctions to be relaxed. But the Chinese leader waited to reciprocate the visit, biding his time to see how nuclear talks between Kim and Trump would play out before deciding to travel to Pyongyang, according to analysts. Xi's two-day visit is a chance for China to showcase its influence in the region. "For North Korea, the coming meeting will serve to show the US that China has its back and to send a message to Washington it should stop its maximum pressure posture," said Lim Eul-chul, professor of North Korean studies at Kyungnam University. Negotiations between Trump and Kim have soured after a second summit in February broke up without a deal, failing to agree on what Pyongyang would be willing to give up in exchange for sanctions relief. Beijing's own trade negotiations with Washington hit a wall last month. Xi could come back from Pyongyang with some leverage when he meets Trump at the G20 summit in Japan next week. Serious Mistake In a rare opinion piece published in North Korea's official newspaper on Wednesday, Xi hailed the "irreplaceable" friendship of the neighbouring nations and offered a "grand plan" to bring permanent stability to East Asia. He also vowed that Beijing would play an active role in "strengthening communication and coordination with North Korea and other relevant parties" to push forward negotiations on the Korean Peninsula. Beijing had fretted over being sidelined after the North Korean leader agreed to meet Trump last year, with the US leader going as far as declaring he had fallen "in love" with Kim. The editorial was a not-so-subtle reminder that Beijing remains Pyongyang's closest ally. China sees the North as a strategic buffer from South Korea, keeping the 28,500 US troops in South Korea far from its borders. Xi, who will be given the honour of a state visit, will pay homage at the capital's Friendship Tower, a monument to the Chinese troops who saved the North from defeat during the Korean War. In recent days soldiers and workers have been sprucing it up. Yongwook Ryu, professor of international relations at the National University of Singapore, said Xi could be making a "serious mistake" if he tries to use North Korea as a bargaining chip with Trump, because the US leader separates security issues from economic ones. "If Xi can put pressure on North Korea to denuclearise i.e. offer some carrot to Trump, then he could perhaps get a concession from Trump or make a trade deal with Trump more likely," Ryu said. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang has dismissed concerns that Beijing's close ties with Pyongyang could be used to put pressure on the US, saying "people with such an idea are just over-thinking." Zhao Tong, North Korea expert at the Carnegie Tsinghua Center think tank in Beijing, said he does not expect any "substantive discussions" on denuclearisation during the meeting, because "China and North Korea do not have enough mutual trust."

Xi Jinping heads to North Korea to meet Kim Jong Un ahead of Trump talks

Xi Jinping has departed for Pyongyang, this would be the first visit by a Chinese president to North Korea in 14 years. Watch this video to know more.

Xi Jinping to reach North Korea

Xi Jinping's North Korea visit comes days before G-20 Summit

Wion Dispatch: Xi Jinping Meets Kim in Pyongyang

Bruce Harrison, Wion Correspondent speaks on Xi's visit to North Korea

WION CHAT: Bruce Harrison, Wion Correspondent on Xi's visit to North Korea

US business representatives who attended the new round of hearing on tariff increase on Monday opposed the additional tariffs, saying that they cannot do without China's supply and cannot afford <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-china-rekindle-trade-talks-ahead-of-donald-trump-xi-jinping-g20-meeting-228545">another round of tariff rise</a>.

Different from former tariff increases, which mainly targeted intermediate products and industrial products, the new round of tariff is on consumer goods that every American resident has to use, such as cellphones, laptops, clothes, shoes, toys, and gaming devices, with a total worth of US $300 billion.

However, statistics showed that 82 per cent of cellphones and 94 per cent of laptops in US market are manufactured or assembled by Chinese manufactures, and a US $277 billion worth of clothes come from China.

If the levies are imposed, American consumers will <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/amid-heightened-us-china-tensions-science-suffers-collateral-damage-228220">suffer a huge blow</a>, and American companies will lose a huge amount of profits, with some perhaps having to lay off employees or even close.

Although the US Department of Commerce and the Office of the US Trade Representative constantly ask American companies to seek alternatives in other countries, the answer is almost the same.

Watch: US-China trade friction 'hurting world economic chain'

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-china-trade-friction-hurting-world-economic-chain-chinese-scholars-227099/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"It's not as simple to change a supply chain as to just send an email and say 'I would rather deal with you' or something. It takes many years to develop a relationship with suppliers. So for us, it's taken several years, almost decades now. It's cost a lot of money for us to visit China or have them visit us. And it's years of trust of doing business with each other," said Brandon Peckman, Sales Manager of Real Trading LLC.

The US publishing industry will probably suffer heavily from the tariff increase, as a US $2.3 billion worth of books on American market are printed and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/had-a-very-good-phone-call-with-xi-will-have-extended-meeting-with-him-at-g-20-in-japan-228438">made in China</a>.

"We don't have an option as to where we can go. Often it's because of the cost. A lot of the daily newspapers have gone out of business here in the States, so the printer capability, which I think you heard some testimony about, has gone down. So it's costs, also technology," said Jamie Fiocco, chairman of American Booksellers Association.

"One of the best examples might be children's book. And a lot of those titles are four-color titles. They're titles that use unique formats or maybe have especially interesting add-ons in terms of sidelines that come with those titles. And the US currently does not have that capacity or the technical skill to produce such titles. The US has a lot of very fine printers, but they tend to concentrate on one-color printing. Right now, it's coming from China," said Dan Cullen, Senior Strategy Officer of American Booksellers Association.

Over 500 American enterprises and industry associations attended the hearing on a further of US $300 billion worth of imported Chinese products at the International Trade Commission in Washington DC on Monday.

US business representatives who attended the new round of hearing on tariff increase on Monday opposed the additional tariffs, saying that they cannot do without China's supply and cannot afford another round of tariff rise.

US business representatives who attended the new round of hearing on tariff increase on Monday opposed the additional tariffs, saying that they cannot do without China's supply and cannot afford another round of tariff rise. Different from former tariff increases, which mainly targeted intermediate products and industrial products, the new round of tariff is on consumer goods that every American resident has to use, such as cellphones, laptops, clothes, shoes, toys, and gaming devices, with a total worth of US $300 billion. However, statistics showed that 82 per cent of cellphones and 94 per cent of laptops in US market are manufactured or assembled by Chinese manufactures, and a US $277 billion worth of clothes come from China. If the levies are imposed, American consumers will suffer a huge blow, and American companies will lose a huge amount of profits, with some perhaps having to lay off employees or even close. Although the US Department of Commerce and the Office of the US Trade Representative constantly ask American companies to seek alternatives in other countries, the answer is almost the same. Watch: US-China trade friction 'hurting world economic chain' "It's not as simple to change a supply chain as to just send an email and say 'I would rather deal with you' or something. It takes many years to develop a relationship with suppliers. So for us, it's taken several years, almost decades now. It's cost a lot of money for us to visit China or have them visit us. And it's years of trust of doing business with each other," said Brandon Peckman, Sales Manager of Real Trading LLC. The US publishing industry will probably suffer heavily from the tariff increase, as a US $2.3 billion worth of books on American market are printed and made in China. "We don't have an option as to where we can go. Often it's because of the cost. A lot of the daily newspapers have gone out of business here in the States, so the printer capability, which I think you heard some testimony about, has gone down. So it's costs, also technology," said Jamie Fiocco, chairman of American Booksellers Association. "One of the best examples might be children's book. And a lot of those titles are four-color titles. They're titles that use unique formats or maybe have especially interesting add-ons in terms of sidelines that come with those titles. And the US currently does not have that capacity or the technical skill to produce such titles. The US has a lot of very fine printers, but they tend to concentrate on one-color printing. Right now, it's coming from China," said Dan Cullen, Senior Strategy Officer of American Booksellers Association. Over 500 American enterprises and industry associations attended the hearing on a further of US $300 billion worth of imported Chinese products at the International Trade Commission in Washington DC on Monday.

We cannot run business without China's supply, says US publishers amid trade war

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