Without a trade deal, cross-Channel trade will be conducted on basic WTO rules and a market built over 47 years of economic integration will be disrupted by tariffs on goods.
The pause in drawn out talks came despite a tight deadline, with Britain due to leave the EU single market on December 31 with or without a trade agreement.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen will hold video talks with Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson as they seek a breakthrough in post-Brexit trade negotiations after the EU launched legal action
Expectations for progress during the two-day meeting are low, so officials and businesses are hoping Washington and Beijing can at least detail commitments for "goodwill" gestures and clear the path for future negotiations.
Rhetoric on both sides has hardened despite an agreement in June by Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping to revive efforts at ending the costly fight over China's technology ambitions and trade surplus.
If the two countries cannot reach an agreement, a five percent tariff on all Mexican goods entering the US will go into effect on Monday.
The US should bear "sole and entire responsibility" for setbacks in its trade negotiations with China, Beijing said. Meanwhile, China's defense minister has vowed to defend Beijing's claims over Taiwan and disputed South China Sea waters.
US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is expected to meet Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on Sunday for talks as officials from the world's two biggest economies try to calm an escalating trade spat that has rattled financial markets.
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