President Donald Trump will meet with China's president, Xi Jinping, next month at the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, according to Larry Kudlow, top White House economic advisor.
Kudlow told reporters outside the White House on Tuesday that the two leaders "will meet for a bit" but didn't have other details.
Any meeting between the two comes at a time of escalating tensions over trade. Most recently, the Trump administration put tariffs on some $200 billion of Chinese imports, and Beijing retaliated with tariffs on U.S. goods. The two nations have struggled to come to the negotiating table over trade, as the U.S. raises concerns about intellectual property and a widening trade deficit.
"Our asks are on the table, I'd love to see them respond," Kudlow said Tuesday. "Thus far they haven't."
Chinese government officials have indicated they aren't afraid of a trade war. CNBC reported Monday that Zhang Qingli, a leading member of the Chinese committee that forges alliances with other nations, told a group of U.S. business leaders, lobbyists and others that China refuses to be intimidated.
The G-20 summit is an annual meeting of leaders from the world's major economies.