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US-China trade war
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China’s President Xi Jinping will begin a trip to Greece and Brazil on Sunday. Photo: Reuters
ChinaDiplomacy

Trade war: deal signing still uncertain with US missing from Xi Jinping’s itinerary

  • Chinese president will visit Greece and Brazil next week but there is no sign of a stop to meet Donald Trump to ink a ‘phase one’ agreement
  • Trump had suggested meeting in the United States after Chile cancelled the Apec summit, at which the pair had initially planned to meet
US-China trade war
Teddy Ng
Owen Churchill
Teddy NgandOwen Churchill
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A visit to the United States is not part of the itinerary of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s forthcoming trip abroad, Beijing has revealed, casting doubt on whether the two nations could sign an interim trade deal next week.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Xi’s trip, from November 10 to 15, would include a state visit to Greece and an emerging markets summit in Brazil.

The statement did not mention the US, nor whether any meeting between Xi and US President Donald Trump was being arranged during the trip.

The announcement came amid rising speculation over when and where Xi could meet Trump to sign a partial trade deal – based on progress made during negotiations last month.
An initial plan for the two presidents to meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Chile on November 16 and 17 had t be abandoned when the Chilean government cancelled the forum because of social unrest.
Trump and other US officials have since suggested that a meeting could be held in Iowa, Hawaii or Alaska.

At a recent closed-door event in Washington for members of the US-China Business Council – a non-profit organisation aimed at promoting trade between the countries – a senior Chinese diplomat said a presidential meeting appeared “extremely important” for Trump but Beijing did not see it as critical, according to a source who attended the event.

The Chinese diplomat also said Beijing felt that Trump was fixated on a “phase one” deal for domestic political purposes, according to the source.

The South China Morning Post reported previously that China would not agree to hold a meeting in the US, and that China was seeking a solid commitment from Washington to remove tariffs imposed on Chinese products.

Chinese diplomatic observers have said that both sides need an initial deal but that the US should respond more clearly to China’s core concern about the removal of tariffs.

White House spokesman Judd Deere said on Wednesday that negotiations between the two nations were ongoing.

“Negotiations are continuing and progress is being made on the text of the phase one agreement,” he said. “We will let you know when we have an announcement on a signing location.”

An interim trade deal is widely expected to include a US pledge to scrap tariffs scheduled for December 15 on about US$156 billion worth of Chinese imports, including mobile phones, laptop computers and toys. China is expected to buy more US agricultural products, open up its financial markets and address restrictions on genetically modified American food, but the deal may not include Chinese energy purchases from the US.

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