President Donald Trump says trade talks between US and Chinese officials went very well and the two sides had a very, very good negotiation.
Trump addressed reporters at the White House on Thursday, after top US and Chinese negotiators met for the first time since late July to try to ease a bitter 15-month trade war.
Business groups have expressed optimism that they might be able to find enough common ground to delay a US tariff hike scheduled for next week.
- US President Donald Trump says he had to 'take on China' despite impact on US economy
- 'Clear warning signs': US-China trade war expected to affect New Zealand
- China warns Trump's tariffs could 'plunge the world into recession'
Lower-level "early harvest" agreements on issues such as currencies and copyright protections were possible, despite increased irritants between the world's two largest economies, a US Chamber of Commerce official briefed by both sides said.
Myron Brilliant, the Chamber's head of international affairs, told reporters that negotiators were "trying to find a path towards the bigger deal" with progress on market access and less controversial intellectual property and other issues.
"I believe that there's even the possibility of a currency agreement this week. I think that could lead to a decision by the US administration to not put forth a tariff rate hike on October 15."
Trump sent another optimistic signal about the talks, tweeting on Thursday that he would meet with China's top negotiator, Vice Premier Liu He at the White House on Friday.
"Big day of negotiations with China," Trump said on Twitter. "They want to make a deal, but do I?"
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer greeted Liu on the steps of the USTR office near the White House on Thursday morning.
Reuters
