Trump Optimistic about Trade Deal w/ China, Hurdles Remain

Washington, DC, April 5, 2019-The U.S. and China are aiming to reach a trade deal in the next four weeks, President Trump said, though he failed to announce a much-anticipated summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, according to a Wall Street Journal article entitled “Trump Says U.S.-China Trade Deal Close, but No Summit Plans Yet”.

“Mr. Trump struck an upbeat tone on Thursday, but his remarks suggest the two nations will struggle to meet their informal goal of a deal by the end of April. U.S. negotiators have told industry officials that even after reaching a preliminary deal, they will need an additional two weeks beyond that to review the fine print.

“Mr. Trump and his trade team say negotiations are in their final stages, but caution that daunting issues remain-including when to lift punitive tariffs against Chinese imports, protection of U.S. intellectual property and enforcement of the pact’s provisions.

“There are ‘major, major issues left,’ U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said. ‘We’re certainly making more progress than we would have thought when we started.’”