United States President Donald Trump has said he would soon meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to try to secure a comprehensive trade deal between the two countries. He said this after the two-day talks to resolve the conflict that has rattled the global economy ended without any agreement. During the latest round of talks, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer led the US delegation while Vice Premier Liu He headed the Chinese side.
In a statement, the White House said in a statement that the two sides had made progress but that much work remains to be done. It said it would keep a 'hard deadline' of March 2, at which point it would escalate import taxes on USD 200 billion in Chinese good if there was no deal. Speaking at the White House on Thursday during a meeting with Liu, Trump said he was optimistic the world's two largest economies could reach "the biggest deal ever made".
Answering to a question, Trump said the two countries have made "tremendous progress in trade negotiations. It doesn't mean you have a deal, but I can say there is a tremendous relationship and warm feeling." The US President said that the US tariffs will increase unless China agreed to reforms by March 1 deadline. "There are some points that we don't agree to yet, but I think we will agree. I think, when President Xi and myself meet, every point will be agreed to," he added.
"We are going to have a great trade deal with China if it all works out…it's going to be great for both countries -- not just us, not just them," he stated.
