China’s top trade negotiator has reached Washington as the world’s top two economies prepare for crucial trade talks. Chinese delegation, led by Vice Premier Liu He, is expected to meet US President Donald Trump at the end of the two-days talks. The talks are slated to begin tomorrow.

The discussions in Washington will be the first face-to-face cabinet-level discussions with China since a Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in December last year struck a three-month long truce in their trade war. If no deal is reached by March 2, tariffs on 200 billion US dollars of Chinese imports are set to increase from 10 per cent to 25 per cent.

The visit of the Chinese delegation comes after the US Justice Department unveiled charges against Chinese telecoms giant Huawei and its chief financial officer. However, US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross has said the indictments were separate from  trade negotiations with China.