The Chinese envoy took direct aim at the United States, saying the government headed by Donald Trump "severely disrupts the global economic order" by imposing shock tariffs on its trading partners.

The outlook of an all-out trade war between the U.S. and China remains a central question for the global economy, but the two sides appear to disagree even about whether talks have begun. President Donald Trump late Wednesday said the world’s two largest economies are “actively” discussing trade issues.