Beijing, China - China on Monday hailed the "multipolar world" that is coming, a veiled jab at Washington ahead of talks between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.
Speaking at a forum in Beijing on Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged "an end to politicizing economic and trade issues, artificially fragmenting global markets, and resorting to trade wars and tariff battles."
The comments slammed Trump's trade war more than half a year after his "Liberation Day" tariffs threw the global economy into disarray, and less than a month after he hiked tariffs on China.
"Frequently withdrawing from agreements and reneging on commitments, while enthusiastically forming blocs and cliques, has subjected multilateralism to unprecedented challenges," Wang said, without naming specific countries.
"The tide of history cannot be reversed and a multipolar world is coming," Wang added.
Global markets are watching closely to see how a planned meeting between Trump and Xi in South Korea will turn out on Thursday.
The meeting will come at the end of Trump's week-long tour of Asia, which has already seen him visit Malaysia to sign trade deals and witness the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and China's Vice Premier He Lifeng have already held two days of trade talks, seeking an agreement to avoid additional 100% tariffs due to come into effect on November 1.
China's vice commerce minister, Li Chenggang, said a "preliminary consensus" had been reached, and Bessent confirmed to ABC News that additional tariffs had been averted.
Trump insists China and US will reach a deal in South Korea
Trump insisted he is confident that the US and China will "come away with" a trade deal after his meeting with Xi on Thursday.
The statement is a small sign of hope that US-China tensions may soon start to thaw, despite Trump's repeated trade attacks on Beijing.
For weeks, it was unclear whether the meeting would even go ahead due to the US' anger over China's curbs on rare earths exports, and the White House's mixed messaging over a prospective summit.
"I've got a lot of respect for President Xi and I think we're going to come away with a deal," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One after leaving Malaysia for his next stop in Japan.
"We have China and coming, and it's going to be very interesting," Trump said, before briefly suggesting that TikTok will also be on the menu for Thursday's meeting.