Donald Trump has repeatedly urged Xi Jinping to call him for discussions about a potential trade deal. But any off-ramp to the economic tensions will likely run through Vice Premier He Lifeng, who is Xi's Sino-American trade tsar.

US and China tariff tensions continue to dominate the focus, with signs of deescalation mounting even as President Trump sent mixed signals on the state of relations. On Monday, it was reported that Asian economies like South Korea,

Japan had long maintained deep economic ties with both China and the United States. Recent trade tensions may challenge that approach.