President Donald Trump will get an update on trade talks with China at his Florida retreat, after US-Chinese discussions in Beijing saw progress ahead of a looming March 1 deadline for reaching a deal.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump would meet members of his trade team at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida on Saturday afternoon.
Joining Trump will be US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and trade expert Peter Navarro, said Sanders. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, economic adviser Larry Kudlow and other aides will join by phone.
At a White House press conference on Friday, Trump said he may extend the March 1 deadline and keep tariffs on Chinese goods from rising.
US duties on $US200 billion ($A280 billion) worth of Chinese imports are set to rise to 25 per cent from 10 per cent if no deal is reached by March 1 to address US demands that China curb forced technology transfers and better enforce intellectual property rights.
Both the US and China reported progress in five days of negotiations in Beijing this week but the White House said much work remains to be done to force changes in Chinese trade behaviour.
Trump said on Friday the United States was closer than ever before to "having a real trade deal" with China but that the talks were "very complicated."
Australian Associated Press