Spot gold rose 0.4pc to $1,283.94 per ounce by 1249 GMT, while US gold futures were up 0.5pc at $1,283.50 an ounce.
"The 10-year US Treasury yields have dropped to their lowest in (about) a year-and-half right now, and that seems to be a function of the fears of a slowdown in the US economy and the trade war," Mitsubishi analyst Jonathan Butler said.
Global equity markets sank and US Treasury yields dipped to their lowest since September 2017, as investor sentiment soured over growing global growth worries.
Lower bond yields reduce the opportunity cost of holding non-interest bearing gold.
Adding to the global anxiety, China's Communist Party newspaper warned on Wednesday that Beijing was ready to use rare earths to strike back at the United States in the drawn-out dispute.
This comes two days after US President Donald Trump said Washington was not yet prepared to strike a deal.
Gold also held up well against a relatively stronger dollar, which has been competing with bullion as the investment of choice to hedge against the trade tensions, with the US currency holding near a one-week high.
The dollar is repeating a trend seen last year, when it emerged as the preferred hedge over bullion from the trade concerns between the world's two biggest economies.
"Wider global interest rate differentials between the US dollar and G-6 currencies have further bolstered the US dollar strength whilst extending marked pressure on gold in lieu of its status as a non-interest bearing asset," Phillip Futures said.
Holdings of SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, which is a gauge of investor interest in the metal, fell 0.2pc to 737.34 tonnes on Tuesday from Friday.
Among other precious metals, silver gained 0.8pc to $14.45 per ounce, while palladium rose 0.6pc to $1,344.60 per ounce.
Platinum fell 0.2pc to $793.94 per ounce, after earlier falling to its lowest since Feb. 15 at $787.