Donald Trump’s pronouncement of a delay in the deadline for a planned rise in tariffs on Chinese imports, citing “substantial progress” in negotiations with Beijing at the weekend, has increased expectations that a deal will be reached to end the trade war.
The US president said the talks were in “advanced stages” and the final details would be ironed out at a new summit with Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in southern Florida.
If that holds true, what would such an agreement look like? In recent weeks, as Robert Lighthizer, the US trade representative, and Liu He, the Chinese vice-premier, have squared off in the talks, the contours of a possible deal — to be laid out in a binding document — have gradually taken shape.