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US, China achieve breakthrough in trade talks - Trump

The Phase One deal will be signed shortly, US President Donald Trump said
US President Donald Trump EPA-EFE/MICHAEL REYNOLDS/POOL
US President Donald Trump
© EPA-EFE/MICHAEL REYNOLDS/POOL

WASHINGTON, December 22. /TASS/. The United States and China have secured a breakthrough in their trade talks, the Phase One deal will be signed shortly, US President Donald Trump said on Saturday, speaking at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Florida.

"We also took the toughest ever action against China and as a result we just achieved a breakthrough on the trade deal and we will be signing it very shortly," he said. "They are already buying billions and billions of dollars of products, agricultural products."

"I spoke to [Chinese] President Xi [Jinping] yesterday," Trump added.

On December 13, Washington and Beijing agreed the Phase One deal in attempt to end a trade war that has been raging between the two countries. The US representative at the trade talks, Robert Leitheiser, told reporters that Trump had agreed to delay introduction of tariffs on Chinese goods.

Leitheiser also underlined that the deal will be signed in early January, likely by the national trade representatives rather than the leaders themselves. According to him, the agreements achieved will allow increasing US export to China by $200 billion in two years, while the US trade deficit will be reduced.