Since two days of talks to resolve the U.S.-China trade dispute last month in Washington ended in a stalemate, Trump has repeatedly said he expected to meet President Xi Jinping at the June 28-29 summit in Osaka, Japan. China has not confirmed any such meeting.
The United States is seeking sweeping changes, including an end to forced technology transfers and theft of U.S. trade secrets. It also wants curbs on subsidies for Chinese state-owned enterprises and better access for U.S. firms in Chinese markets. Investors worry China will retaliate by putting U.S. companies on a blacklist or banning exports to the United States of rare earth metals, which are used in products such as memory chips, rechargeable batteries and cell phones.
On Sunday, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said resolving the current trade tensions should be the top priority for G20 economies. Late last month Trump said he would impose tariffs on Mexican goods if Mexico did not agree to take strong steps to curb the flow of mostly Central American migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.