Trump: Deal within reach in U.S.-China trade talks

BEIJING — President Donald Trump said the past week’s talks in Beijing had brought the U.S. and China within reach of a breakthrough in their trade relations, despite his administration’s own assessment that “much work remains” before a deal can be struck.

The president again vowed that any agreement will address the full range of U.S. complaints about China’s behavior, including deep-seated structural features of its economic model.

“We’re a lot closer than we ever were in this country with having a real trade deal,” Mr. Trump said at a news conference Friday. “We’re covering everything, all of the points that people have been talking about for years and said couldn’t be done.”

Mr. Trump spoke several hours after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin tweeted that the two days of talks had been “productive.” But the administration offered no evidence that the two sides had significantly narrowed their differences.

“Everyone thinks it’s a stalemate,” said one analyst who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “The president is wishing something there that isn’t and is trying to will it to be.”

Negotiations are set to continue next week in Washington aimed at reaching a memorandum of understanding before Mr. Trump’s March 1 deadline.

The president also raised the bar on what what would constitute success, telling reporters: “It’s going to be better than any deal than anybody ever dreamed possible or I’m not going to have a deal, it’s very simple.”

Fresh from a border security compromise that angered some prominent conservatives, Mr. Trump seemed sensitive to criticism of his deal-making. He complained that Democratic leaders would assail whatever deal he reaches with Beijing and said he is considering inviting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to join the talks.

Mr. Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, the chief U.S. negotiator, met with Chinese President Xi Jinping before heading to the airport Friday.

“I have said many times that China and the United States are inseparable from each other. Cooperation serves the interests of the two sides and conflict can only hurt both,” Mr. Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV. “The consultations between the two teams have made important progress.”

In Washington, analysts say the talks are likely to continue for 60 days past the March 1 deadline. If no deal is reached, the current 10 percent tariff will rise to 25 percent on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods.