China's top economic adviser is in Washington, in an attempt to smooth trade tensions between the two countries. Liu He's visit comes as China warned it would take action against US moves to impose stiff duties on Chinese aluminum products. CGTN's Roee Ruttenberg has more.

Liu He may be China's not-so-secret weapon. A trusted economic adviser to Chinese President Xi Jinping, he's said to have his finger on China's economic pulse. Which may explain, in part, why Beijing has sent him to Washington amid a cross-Pacific trade spat that has been quickly escalating. In December, U.S. President Donald Trump labelled China a "strategic competitor".

And this week, his Commerce Department announced anti-dumping tariffs of 49-106% on U.S. imports of Chinese aluminum foil. Additional duties will be applied for what the U.S. says are "unfair subsidies" received by Chinese producers. It's a significant sector, with U.S. aluminum foil imports worth nearly $400 million a year.

Wang Hejun from China's Commerce Ministry accused the United States of "ignoring rules of the World Trade Organization and seriously damaged the interests of Chinese aluminum foil exporters". His department vowed to protect Chinese trade interests. This, as China agreed this week to remove its own anti-dumping duties on American broiler chickens. The decision to drop them followed a WTO ruling against Beijing.

All of these issues form the backdrop as Liu He meets with the Trump administration's top trade officials. It's unclear if he'll meet with Peter Navarro a China critic who was sidelined last year by more moderate voices in the White House. Navarro is widely reported to be on his way back, with a new title: Assistant to the President, guiding Trump on his trade policy toward Beijing.

ROEE RUTTENBERG WASHINGTON, DC "The Trump administration says: it's just cracking down on unfair trade practices - adding: it doesn't want a trade war with China. Liu He's visit may be their best chance at stopping one. Roee Ruttenberg, CGTN, in Washington."