CHINA/TRADE DEALS/TREASURY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump expressed optimism on a trade deal with China, after meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He in the Oval Office on Friday afternoon…Trump said he plans to meet with President Xi Jinping to work out the final details of a deal ‘fairly soon,’ and those conversations are likely to take place at Mar-a-Lago next month. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin noted that Liu He and his team had agreed to extend their trip for an additional two days as negotiations continue ahead of the March 1 deadline…It is still not entirely clear if the two sides will officially signal they plan to extend the deadline…At this point the two sides have been making progress nailing down text in memorandums of understanding in six areas: nontariff barriers, forced technology transfers, intellectual property, cybertheft, agriculture and currency. But there are still gaps on certain issues. Trump’s top trade negotiator US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, acknowledged forced technology transfers was one area of contention still being worked out, noting the group had “made a lot of progress” in its negotiations, but it ‘has to be done properly.'”
–Betsy Klein and Donna Borak, “Trump predicts ‘very good chance’ of China trade deal,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, February 22, 2019 2:05 am