Trump leaves door open to China trade extension as deadline looms

WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump left open the possibility Monday of extending his deadline for China and the US coming to terms on a new trade deal, hours before the president's timeline is set to conclude.

The 90-day pause on Trump's higher tariffs is set to conclude at midnight, and he told reporters at the White House that it may be extended further, but said no final decision had been made.

"We'll see what happens. We've been dealing very nicely with China," he said. "As you probably have heard, they have tremendous tariffs that they're paying to the United States of America. And we'll see what happens. They've been dealing quite nicely. The relationship is very good with President Xi and myself."

Trump has long hailed his personal ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and has said he expects to meet with him before the year's end.

Following a meeting between US and Chinese delegations in May, US tariffs on Chinese imports have fallen to roughly 30%, down from as much as 145% as the president sought to ratchet up economic pressure on Beijing in hopes of securing a new trade deal.