Trump administration officials have defended the mass dismissals, saying they are overdue and necessary to make the department leaner and more efficient. Among the employees laid off are more than 100 people who worked in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, which is self-funded from passport and visa fees.

President Donald Trump has imposed a 93.5% anti-dumping tariff on Chinese graphite, after the U.S. Commerce Department concluded that China had been selling the material in the U.S. at unfairly low prices.

The US-China deal under negotiation is likely to bear similarities to the phase one trade agreement from Donald Trump's first term, according to a former senior official in that administration - offering clues to what the highly anticipated pact may look like just weeks before a trade truce between the two rival economies is set to expire.

President Donald Trump has reportedly softened his stance on China compared to six months ago as he looks to secure a trade deal with the U.S.’s closest economic rival, and a meeting with his counterpart,

Global views of China and its leader Xi Jinping have improved, while opinions of the U.S. and Donald Trump have declined.

President Donald Trump has dialed down his confrontational tone with China in an effort to secure a summit with counterpart Xi Jinping and a trade deal with the world’s second-largest economy, people familiar with internal deliberations said.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday lauded a new trade deal signed with Indonesia and said the United States would be fighting China "in a very friendly fashion."

More than two dozen Republican attorneys general urged Congress to pass the bill, calling it "vital" to addressing the opioid epidemic