President Barack Obama and top Republicans faced growing pressure at home and abroad today to stop deficit talks from getting out of control, Reuters reported.

Markets reacted skittishly after the fourth straight day of talks between Obama and congressional leaders hit a new low on Wednesday, while divisions within the Republican Party seemed to increase the difficulty of striking a deal to raise the debt limit ceiling by Aug. 2.

Obama clashed with Republican lawmakers during a two-hour White House session that produced no progress toward a deal. Obama walked out of the meeting.

China, the United States’ largest foreign creditor with more than $1 trillion in Treasury debt, urged lawmakers in Washington to adopt responsible policies to protect investor interests. Those comments followed a warning by Moody’s Investors Service that it might downgrade the U.S. credit rating if the $14.3 trillion debt limit was not raised.

Meanwhile, a poll released by Quinnipiac University today shows that most Americans favor tax increases to combat raising the debt limit, CNNMoney reported. The poll said 67 percent of Americans favor a deal to raise the debt ceiling that includes taxes on wealthy individuals and corporations.