Analysts suggest a cautious atmosphere surrounding the upcoming summit between US President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, with both sides introducing irritants to build bargaining leverage.

Washington and Beijing have piled on irritants in advance of this week’s summit between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, suggesting that neither side wants to be seen as a deal killer – even as they try to build potential leverage to bargain away, analysts and former US government officials said. Scott Kennedy, senior adviser with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said that both sides had been “picking up some chits which they might be...