US President Donald Trump said on Christmas Eve that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping would take part in a signing ceremony to ink the phase one trade deal. The agreement was reached earlier this month and can be signed in the first half of January.
Trump told the media:
“We will be having a
signing ceremony, yes. We will ultimately, yes, when we get together. And we'll
be having a quicker signing because we want to get it done. The deal is done,
it's just being translated right now.”
Earlier today, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang revealed that both sides maintained close contact. He stated:
“Both sides' economic
and trade teams are in close communication about detailed arrangements for the
deal's signing and other follow-up work.”
So far, China hasn’t confirmed the elements of the deal, which were previously unveiled by US officials. A spokesperson for the Beijing’s Commerce Ministry stated last week that more details would be released to the public after the deal is signed officially.
Shuang didn’t elaborate on the specific date of the upcoming
signing ceremony, but US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said earlier
this month that the interim agreement would be inked in the first week of
January.