Market News & Headlines >> Trump: China Trade Deal May be 4 Weeks Away

President Trump on Thursday afternoon told reporters that a U.S.-China trade deal could be announced in about four weeks and that he would hold a trade summit in Washington with China’s President Xi Jinping if a deal is reached. 

Trump spoke to the press at the start of a meeting with China’s top trade negotiator, Vice Premier Liu He, who is in Washington for high-level negotiations with a U.S. team led by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Lighthizer said that a lot of headway had been made in the talks, but some “major, major” issues still must be dealt with. 

Earlier in the day, Trump told reporters he would only accept a “great” trade deal with China. “If it’s not a great deal, we’re not doing it. But it’s going very well. Top officials are here. And we’re very well along on the deal. It’s a very complex deal. It’s a very big deal,” the President said, according to Reuters News Service. "It'll be a great deal for our farmers. Technology, intellectual property theft -- everything is covered. There's not a thing that's not covered," he added. 

Earlier, Bloomberg News and the Wall Street Journal had reported that Trump was likely to announce a summit date at his Thursday afternoon meeting with China’s top trade negotiator, Vice Premier Liu He, citing unnamed administration officials.