BEIJING — Call it the battle of the anchors.

With tensions between China and the United States running high, the fight between the two global powers shifted — at least for 15 minutes — from dry back-room trade negotiations to a buzzier, more high-profile arena: American prime-time television.

After days of sparring on Twitter, Trish Regan, an American television host from the Fox Business Network, and Liu Xin, a Chinese host on China Global Television Network, an international arm of China’s propaganda machine, squared off in a highly-anticipated debate about trade and technology on Wednesday night in the United States (Thursday morning in China).

Presenting a Chinese state media personality side-by-side with a Fox Business Network anchor on live television made for an unusual spectacle. Experts said the event provided the Chinese Communist Party with a rare opportunity to present its narrative directly to American audiences.

The debate got off to an awkward start when Ms. Regan introduced Ms. Liu, speaking over an unstable satellite link from Beijing, as a member of the Chinese Communist Party. Ms. Liu quickly responded.