US agenda shouldn't be driven by irrationality

With Chinese and US trade negotiators preparing to hold their next round of talks in early October in Washington, hopes are high that substantial progress would be made to at least de-escalate tensions, if not resolve all bilateral trade disputes.

The trade war launched by the United States on China, which has already stretched into a second year, has dealt a blow to not only the two economies but also the world economy as a whole.

The International Monetary Fund has forecast "sluggish" global growth for 2020, citing the Sino-US trade tensions as a major factor. "We are seeing the effects of the trade tensions more starkly on global trade and on industrial production and manufacturing," said IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath.