China and the U.S. continued trade talks May 1, and the discussions and negotiations will continue into the next week, according to a recent article by Reuters. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin called the talks "productive" as the two countries remain in a trade war.

Both China and the U.S. noted progress had been made on a few contentious topics such as intellectual property and forced technology transfer. The trade wars, dragging on for a handful of years now, have cost both economic powers billions of dollars, hindered supply chains and set the international economy on edge, according to Reuters.

No solution has been reached on the U.S. tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods; negotiations still continue. President Trump has said he will keep the tariffs in place for a "substantial period."

—Christie Citranglo, editorial associate