Trump to discuss trade war with Xi at G-20 summit

[WASHINGTON] US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will discuss trade on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summit in Argentina this month, a senior US official said Tuesday.

Top White House economic aide Larry Kudlow said the high-level efforts continue to resolve the US-China trade war, and follow Trump's recent telephone call with Xi.

"Right now we're having communications at all levels of US and Chinese government," Mr Kudlow told CNBC.

"We now know that we will in fact discuss trade at the G-20 meeting in Argentina. We didn't know that before but that's a certainty."

Mr Trump is due to arrive in Buenos Aires on November 29 for the G-20 summit, which will give him the opportunity for face-to-face meetings to ease the trade tensions.

Major US corporations say they are raising prices and face higher costs due to the trade war, in which Washington has imposed steep import duties on more than US$250 billion in Chinese goods. China hit back with tariffs on US$110 billion in US goods.

Duty rates on a US$200 billion in imports are due to rise to 25 per cent from the current 10 per cent, and Trump also is threatening to impose tariffs on another US$267 billion of additional Chinese goods.

AFP