# China’s International Trade Representative and vice minister of commerce, Li Chenggan will lead a delegation to Washington for trade talks this week, as the two countries navigate a truce after months of friction. Both countries slapped escalating tariffs on each other’s exports. China is the world’s leading producer of rare earths, used to make magnets essential to the automotive, electronics and defence industries. The countries have since agreed to move forward. This month, they delayed the threatened reimposition of higher tariffs on each other’s exports till 10 November.
China sends top official to US for trade talks