STOCKHOLM: Top trade officials from China and the US launched a new round of talks Monday in a bid to ease tensions over tariffs between the world’s two biggest national economies.US treasury secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese vice premier He Lifeng were meeting at the offices of Sweden’s prime minister for two days of talks that Bessent has said will likely lead to an extension of current tariff levels. But other possible outcomes will be scrutinised. Analysts say the talks could set the stage for a possible meeting between US President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year. The trade talks are the third this year, nearly four months after the US president upended global trade with his sweeping tariff proposals The meeting in Stockholm, following similar talks in Geneva and London, is set to extend a 90-day pause on the tariffs. During the pause, US tariffs have been lowered to 30% on Chinese goods, and China set a 10% tariff on American products. ap