US team to fly to Beijing next week for new round of talks to end trade war – as reports say China is pushing back against American requests

US media reported on Tuesday that top US and Chinese negotiators are planning new rounds of talks starting next week to end a trade dispute between the two nations, even as other news outlets quoted sources saying China is pushing back against American requests.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expect to fly to Beijing the week of March 25 to meet Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He, who will pay a return trip to Washington the following week, the Wall Street Journal first reported, citing Trump administration officials.

Talks between China and the United States are in the final stages, with a target date for a deal by the end of April, according to the report.

Plans for the new round of talks were confirmed by a senior administration official, speaking to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity to discuss undisclosed travel plans. White House officials had hoped that US President Donald Trump would be able to host Chinese President Xi Jinping by the end of this month so that the two countries could announce a formal accord, but talks have bogged down over disagreements about how to enforce a new deal.

Now it’s possible that the two leaders will not meet until April or even later. Deadlines keep moving. Trump had originally given Chinese negotiators until March 1 to finalise the terms of the deal, or he threatened to raise tariffs on billions of dollars in imports. But he backed down from that threat several weeks ago, declaring that he thought there was progress and that more time was needed.

“Talks with China are going very well,” Trump said in response to a shouted question at the White House where he held a joint press conference on Tuesday with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. He did not offer specifics.