The delegations from the three largest economies in the world – the United States, China and Japan – are now gone from the recent Asean and East Asia Summits here, as well as from the Apec summit in Papua New Guinea. 

China's trade surplus with the United States ballooned to a new record $31 billion in August despite a raft of US tariffs, official data showed Saturday, adding fuel to the flames of a searing trade war.