Gillian Wong

Associated Press

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, center, leaves his hotel in Beijing, Friday, May 4, 2018. A high-powered U.S. delegation met for a second day of talks with Chinese officials on defusing tensions that are propelling the world's largest two economies toward a trade war.

Trump to China: Reduce Trade Deficit by $200B

Analysts said the Chinese were likely to view the aggressive posture struck by the U.S. as unreasonable and akin to bullying.

In this April 26, 2018, file photo, a robot assist receptionist is seen at the booth of a Chinese automaker during the China Auto 2018 show in Beijing, China. Under President Xi Jinping, a program known as 'Made in China 2025' aims to make China a tech superpower by advancing development of industries that in addition to semiconductors includes artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals and electric vehicles.

U.S.-China Talk Tech Rivalry

China stepped up efforts to overtake western industry leaders in advanced technologies, especially for semiconductors.

In this March 29, 2018, file photo, Chinese President Xi Jinping reviews an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi has promised to cut China's auto import tariffs and ease restrictions on foreign ownership in its auto industry amid an escalating tariff spat with Washington, in a speech Tuesday, April 10, 2018 at a business conference.

China Offers Trade Concessions

It's an effort to defuse a worsening dispute over trade and technology.

In this March. 29, 2018 photo, container ships is docked at the Yangshan port in Shanghai. President Donald Trump has instructed the U.S. trade representative to consider slapping an additional $100 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods in a dramatic escalation of the trade dispute between the two countries. The news comes a day after Beijing announced plans to tax $50 billion in U.S. products, including soybeans and small aircraft, in response to a U.S. move earlier this week to slap tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese imports.

China Vows to Fight U.S. 'At Any Cost'

Proposals from both countries will intensify what was already shaping up to be the biggest trade battle since World War II.

In this March 15, 2017 file photo, a man pushes a stroller past a magazine advertisement featuring U.S. President Donald Trump at a news stand in Shanghai, China. U.S. media reported Wednesday, Aug 2, 2017 that the administration of President Donald Trump is considering using rarely invoked U.S. trade laws to compel China to crack down on theft of copyrights, patents and other intellectual property and fend off technology sharing demands from Beijing.

Trump May Punish China for IP Thefts

The administration is weighing plans to punish the country for failing to crack down on intellectual property thefts.

In this Tuesday, March 14, 2017 photo, a man looks at imported wines on display for sale near the imported cookies and nuts, at Walmart in Beijing. China's trading partners are bringing the top U.N. food standards official to Beijing in a last-ditch attempt to persuade regulators to scale back plans for intensive inspections of food imports - including such low-risk items as wine and chocolate - that Washington and Europe say could disrupt billions of dollars in trade.

U.S. Responds to China's Import Rules

Suppliers complain Beijing already uses safety rules in ways that hamper access for goods in violation of its market-opening commitments.

In this Oct. 21, 2016 photo, Chinese students work on the Ares, a humanoid bipedal robot designed by them with funding from a Shanghai investment company, displayed during the World Robot Conference in Beijing.

China Defends Manufacturing Plan

Technology is a growing flashpoint in trade tensions.

In this Monday, Jan. 23, 2017, file photo, President Donald Trump signs an executive order to withdraw the U.S. from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact agreed to under the Obama administration in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. With his rejection of an Asian trade pact, Trump has started tackling policy changes that could inadvertently give China room to assert itself as a regional leader and worsen strains over the South China Sea and Taiwan.

Trump's Trade Plan Put Into Action

What Trump's trade moves mean for China.

In this undated file photo, the USNS Bowditch, a T-AGS 60 Class Oceanographic Survey Ship, sails in open water. China has returned to the U.S. an unmanned underwater drone the Chinese Navy seized unlawfully last week in international waters, the Pentagon said in a statement. China's defense ministry said it handed the drone back after 'friendly consultations.'

China Returns Underwater Drone

The U.S. said it will continue to fly, sail, and operate in the South China Sea wherever international law allows.