Todd Bishop
US President Trump (Donald Trump) met with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He at the Oval Office of the White House on October 11. Trump said that basically an agreement has been reached and the first part of the trade agreement will be completed in the next few weeks, and the US-China is very close to ending the trade war.
According to comprehensive media reports, Trump said during the meeting with Liu He that after the first phase of signing, “the second phase will start almost immediately.”
Trump said the first part of the trade agreement will be completed in the coming weeks. He will sign the first part of the agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the APEC summit next month.
He said: “We have basically reached an agreement, but it will be done in writing. It may take three weeks, four weeks or five weeks. You know, we will meet in Chile, and maybe it will be completed by then. Or about that time.”
Trump told reporters after meeting with Liu He: “We are very close to ending the trade war.”
According to the Chinese official media Xinhua News Agency, Trump said that the relationship between the United States and China is developing strongly. He respects China very much and respects President Xi Jinping. He is a great leader. He is very happy to see that the US-China Economic and Trade Consultation has achieved a substantial first-phase result, which is a major positive for the United States and China and the world. It is hoped that the teams of both sides will work hard to determine the text of the first phase agreement as soon as possible and continue to promote follow-up consultations. The United States welcomes Chinese students to study in the United States.
Liu He conveyed a message from Xi Jinping to Trump. Xi Jinping pointed out in his message that the economic and trade teams of the two countries have made progress in some of the agreement consultations. The two sides should properly resolve their concerns and strive for positive progress on issues in other fields. The two sides should adhere to the tone of coordination, cooperation and stability, manage differences on the basis of mutual respect, expand cooperation on the basis of mutual benefit, and push forward bilateral relations along the right track.
Liu He said that during this round of consultations, the two sides held candid, efficient and constructive discussions on economic and trade issues of common concern, in the fields of agriculture, intellectual property protection, exchange rate, financial services, expanding trade cooperation, technology transfer, and dispute settlement. Substantial progress was made and the follow-up consultation arrangements were discussed. It is hoped that the two sides will follow each other and properly resolve their concerns on the basis of equality and mutual respect in accordance with the principles and directions set by the two heads of state, and promote the healthy and stable development of bilateral economic and trade relations.
