HIGH-level delegations from China and the United States were set to meet in London today to try to shore up a fragile truce in a trade dispute that has hit the global economy.

A Chinese delegation led by Vice-Premier He Lifeng was due to meet US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer at an undisclosed location in the city.

The Trump administration expects that “after the handshake” in London, any export controls from the US will be eased and “rare earth” elements will be released by China, the White House has briefed.

Negotiations took place in Geneva last month and brought a temporary respite in the trade war sparked by President Donald Trump. The two countries announced on May 12 that they had agreed to a 90-day suspension of most of the 100 per cent-plus tariffs they had imposed on each other.

Since then, China and the US have exchanged angry words over advanced semiconductors that power artificial intelligence, minerals vital to car makers and other industries, and visas for Chinese students at US universities.

President Donald Trump spoke to Chinese leader Xi Jinping by phone last Thursday in an attempt to put relations back on track.