US, China to Sign Phase 1 Trade Deal Jan. 15 at White House, Tweets Trump

President Donald Trump will sign “our very large and comprehensive” phase one trade deal with China in a White House ceremony Jan. 15, he tweeted Tuesday. “High level representatives of China will be present,” said Trump, not specifying who. “At a later date I will be going to Beijing where talks will begin on Phase Two!” The Jan. 15 signing would be 33 days after the U.S. and China announced the phase one deal Dec. 13 (see 1912130042). The pact includes a broad Chinese commitment to buy U.S. agricultural goods and the Trump administration’s agreement to suspend the List 4B tariffs from taking effect Dec. 15 and to roll back the List 4A tariffs by half to 7.5 percent. The administration has been silent on when the rollback would take effect but said the 25 percent tariffs will remain in place indefinitely on the first three rounds of dutied Chinese goods. Trump’s Tuesday suggestion that the phase two talks would begin at an unspecified later date didn’t square with his Dec. 13 pronouncement that those negotiations would begin immediately.