US President Donald Trump says trade talks with China are going well and has suggested he's open to pushing off the deadline to complete negotiations, saying March 1 was not a "magical" date.
Tariffs on $US200 billion worth of Chinese imports are scheduled to rise to 25 per cent from 10 per cent by March 1 if the world's two largest economies do not settle their trade dispute.
But Trump has suggested he'd be open to postponing the deadline.
"They are very complex talks. They're going very well," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "I can't tell you exactly about timing, but the date is not a magical date. A lot of things can happen."
Trump said the real question would be whether the United States would raise the tariffs as planned.
On Tuesday, the United States and China launched a new round of talks in Washington, with follow-up sessions at a higher level scheduled for later in the week. The negotiations followed a week of talks in Beijing that ended last week without a deal, but which officials said had yielded progress.
As part of a trade deal, the US was reportedly seeking to secure a pledge from China that it will not devalue its yuan currency.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had told Reuters last October that currency issues must be part of US-China trade negotiations.
Two days of negotiations between deputy-level officials began on Tuesday, led by Deputy US Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish on the US side.
Higher-level talks involving Mnuchin and led by USTR Robert Lighthizer are expected to begin on Thursday.
Australian Associated Press
