Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

US trade adviser says China will be signing a trade deal soon

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro says a trade deal with China will be signed soon but gave no firm dates, with the expectation it will be next week.

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro Source: AAP

The White House's trade adviser says the US-China Phase 1 trade deal would likely be signed in the next week but added confirmation would come from President Donald Trump or the US Trade Representative.

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, in an interview on Fox News, cited a report that Chinese Vice Premier Liu He would visit this week to sign the deal, but did not confirm it.

"Washington has sent an invitation and Beijing has accepted it," the South China Morning Post on Monday quoted a source as saying.

Representatives for the Office of the US Trade Representative and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report, which said the Chinese delegation was likely to stay in the US until the middle of next week.

CHINA USA DIPLOMACY
Steve Mnuchin, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He in Beijing. (AAP) Source: AAP

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

"Never believe reports on anonymous sources. Get it from President Trump or ... (US Trade Representative) Robert Lighthizer," Mr Navarro told Fox on Monday.

"We'll probably have a signing on that within the next week or so - we're just waiting for the translation."

Hopes for a US-China trade deal helped keep world stocks positive on Monday although neither side has released many specific details of the agreement, and no text has been released yet.

Mr Navarro said the deal would be made public "as quickly as possible" and that he did no expect any snags to hold it up.

"Basically you need to get it translated into the Chinese and double-checked so both versions match," he added.

The 86-page agreement includes details on intellectual property, "a good start" on forced technology transfers, and "some good language on currency manipulation", Mr Navarro said.

Mr Trump first announced plans for the initial trade pact in October, and US and Chinese negotiators have spent weeks finalising the so-called Phase 1 deal, which comes in lieu of the massive trade agreement that the world's two largest economies had initially sought.

Mr Lighthizer this month said representatives from both countries would sign the pact during the first week of January.

Last week, Mr Trump told reporters he and Chinese President Xi Jinping would eventually have a signing ceremony for the agreement. Mr Trump gave no further details but said the deal was done and being translated.

Days earlier, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the deal was finished but was undergoing a technical review.


3 min read

Published

Updated



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world