No US-China Trade Deal Yet, But Finish Line May Be In Weeks

President Donald Trump did not announce a trade deal has been reached with China when he met with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He at the White House Thursday, but signaled one could be in hand in about four weeks. "We will probably know over the next four weeks. It is looking very good," Trump said. "We have negotiated out some of the toughest — really, the tougher points. But we have some ways to go and I think we have a very good chance of getting there." Trump also mentioned the four-week period in remarks before meeting with Liu, a figure that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer confirmed. Trump indicated it could take another two weeks to finalize text once an agreement is reached. As for a potential summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump said, "If we have a deal, there will be a summit." Xinhua reported that Xi sent a message to Trump talking about substantial progress having been made. Indications are the drafts of the deal currently would give China until 2025 to meet some commitments – primarily purchases of US commodities and opening the ability of U.S. companies to buy Chinese firms. Other provisions in the pact reportedly would have a 2029 deadline. Lighthizer made clear there are still issues remaining. There are “major, major issues left,” he said. “We are certainly making more progress than we would have thought when we started.” Enforcement issues are among those that remain to be finalized, with China said to still be resisting a U.S. demand that would prevent China from retaliating if the US were to hit China with tariffs in the event they do not live up to terms of the deal. The issue of U.S. tariffs currently in place on Chinese goods also remains a sticking point. Lawmakers Retry Effort to Alter Checkoff Programs Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Cory Booker, D-N.J., have reintroduced their bill to reform the checkoff program, utilized by U.S. commodity organizations to help promote their products and perform research. But the programs have earned a controversial reputation due to errant activities involved by some participating in the program. “Checkoff programs force farmers to pay into a system that sometimes actively works against their interests," said Lee. "On top of that, the boards for these programs have come under fire for a lack of transparency and for misuse of their funds.” The effort was also tried in the 2018 Farm Bill, but was overwhelmingly rejected in the U.S. Senate version of the bill.