Why are China, US ratcheting up trade war again?

China and the US are at it again, threatening each other with tariffs and other punitive measures. Mint delves into the latest escalation in their ongoing trade war, factors that triggered it, progress of the China-US trade talks, and what it means for economies such as India.

- BY N. MADHAVAN

1 What triggered the latest spat?
The response depends on whom you ask. The US blames China's new export controls on rare earth minerals, imposed on 9 October.

US President Donald Trump has called the move an "extremely hostile" action and threatened to impose an additional duty of 100% on Chinese imports from 1 November, apart from export controls on critical software.

China, on the other hand, has said its actions followed the US expanding the Entity List that limits Beijing's access to advanced semiconductor chips. Also, the US irked China by imposing additional fees on Chinese vessels that docked in the country's ports.

2 What is the status of US-China trade talks?