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At around 04:30 a.m. ET, Dow futures rose 201 points, indicating a positive open of more than 209 points. Futures on the S&P and Nasdaq were both higher.

China’s Commerce Ministry issued a statement Thursday morning saying that Liu He, Beijing’s top negotiator on trade, had spoken with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

The two sides agreed to hold another round of trade negotiations in Washington, D.C., towards the beginning of next month, and consultations will be made in mid-September in preparation for the meeting, the statement said.

· Asian shares extended gains on Thursday and U.S. stock futures jumped after China said it will hold trade talks with the United States in early October, raising hopes they can de-escalate their trade war before it inflicts further damage on the global economy.

MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up1.08% at its highest since Aug. 2, while the Shanghai composite index surged 1.7%. Japan’s Nikkei added 2.4%.

· Japanese shares closed at their highest in more than a month on Thursday as investors cheered the announcement that U.S.-China trade talks will resume and news from Britain and Hong Kong that also improved risk appetites.

The benchmark Nikkei average ended the day up 2.12% at 21,085.94, the highest close since Aug. 2. During the day, it touched 21,164.61, also a peak since Aug. 2.

· China stocks ended higher on Thursday, boosted by hopes Beijing will free up the amount of cash banks must keep as reserves to shore up the economy, while another round of talks between China and the United States in October aided sentiment.

The blue-chip CSI300 index rose 1.0%, to 3,925.32, while the Shanghai Composite Index also closed up 1% at 2,985.86.

China will implement both broad and targeted cuts in the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) for banks “in a timely manner,” China’s cabinet said in a meeting on Wednesday, an indication that a cut in the key ratio aimed at boosting lending could be imminent.

The Hang Seng index added 0.4% to 26,624.25

· European shares extended their rally on Thursday, after China said it would hold trade talks with the United States, raising hopes that the two sides will make progress on a dispute that has put major economies at a risk of recession.

The pan-European STOXX 600 index rose 0.63% by 0710 GMT to touch its highest level since Aug. 1, after rallying 0.9% in the previous session.