US-China negotiators plan next steps for trade deal

Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He and his US counterparts continued negotiations for a US-China trade agreement by phone on Tuesday morning, according to Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua.

Liu spoke with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to debate the wording of an agreement as the two sides appear to be drawing negotiations towards the light at the end of the tunnel, according to the agency's report.

The two negotiating teams also established the next steps of "working arrangements", Xinhua added, without giving details.

US President Donald Trump has said that the signing of a final deal will require a face-to-face meeting with Chinese Premier Xi Xinping but no date has yet been set for such an encounter according to White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders.

While negotiations could be nearing a close, Trump has also warned that he is willing to walk away from any deal that he views as less than perfect, as he did when stepping away from denuclearisation negotiations with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un earlier this month.

“Sure, I’m confident [of a deal with China], but if we do not make a very good deal for our country, I wouldn’t make a deal,” said the President on Friday.