Nigeria, May 7 -- China and the United States are preparing to begin talks to de-escalate their weeks-long trade dispute.

Officials representing both countries will meet on Saturday in Switzerland to discuss steps toward ending the trade war.

The US announced this on Tuesday, and China confirmed the meeting shortly after, according to Reuters.

Tensions between China and the US have intensified since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, introducing a wave of executive orders and tariffs that disrupted global trade.

China has been the hardest hit by new US tariffs, which rose to 145 per cent in April. In response, the Asian giant imposed a 125 per cent retaliatory tariff on some US goods.

However, the two sides are expec...