President Donald Trump said he was reluctant to continue ratcheting up tariffs on China because it could stall trade between the two countries, and insisted Beijing had repeatedly reached out in a bid to broker a deal.

China’s leader started a week of diplomacy in Southeast Asia to signal China’s commitment to global trade after U.S. President Trump upended the global economy.

China’s leader Xi Jinping has released a letter denouncing tariff and trade wars and urging the multilateral trading system, stable global industrial and supply chains, and open and