U.S.-China trade deal isn’t imminent so no summit date set, envoy says

U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad listens to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speak to the Future Farmers of America and Johnston High School students on Monday in Johnston, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

BEIJING — The U.S. and China have yet to set a date for a summit to resolve their trade dispute, the U.S. ambassador to China said Friday, as neither side feels an agreement is imminent.

“A date hasn’t been finalized” for a meeting between President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Terry Branstad, the U.S. envoy to Beijing, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. He said preparations for such a meeting aren’t yet under way either.

Mr. Branstad said negotiators need to further narrow the gap in their positions, including on enforcement of an eventual deal, before summit arrangements are made.

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“Both sides agree that there has to be significant progress, meaning a feeling that they’re very close before that happens,” Mr. Branstad said in his office at the U.S. embassy in Beijing. “We’re not there yet. But we’re closer than we’ve been for a very long time.”

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