Before the deadline of 1 March, the US and China have reportedly made progress in their trade dispute. „I think we have a very good chance of making a deal,“ Trump told a meeting with Chinese Vice Prime Minister Liu He at the White House yesterday.
A greetings message from China’s President Xi Jinping, read at the meeting, said the negotiators had made „significant progress.“ Trump said he is expected to meet Xi in March at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida.
Trump finds agreement more likely than failure
The US President commented on the trade talks: „We have an agreement on currency and currency manipulation.“ He did not elaborate on that. Trump has repeatedly accused China of manipulating its currency in the past to unfairly support its economy in international competition.
Trump also emphasized: „Both sides want to make this a real agreement, a significant agreement. An agreement that lasts for many years. „He considers it more likely that an agreement will be reached than that the talks would fail. According to the US side, the Chinese delegation wants to extend their stay in Washington until tomorrow or Monday in order to continue negotiations over the weekend.
On March 1, a 90-day „ceasefire“ officially ends, agreed by both sides at the G20 summit in Argentina in early December. The US has threatened with new punitive tariffs, if there is no agreement until then. The special duties on imports from China in the amount of 200 billion US dollars could then be increased according to the plans of Washington from the current ten to 25 percent.
