President Donald Trump said he would sign what he called a “very large and comprehensive” initial trade deal with China on January 15.
Trump had previously said the two leaders would have a signing ceremony for Phase One next month. Through the deal, first announced on December 13, China will increase purchases of American farm goods and be subject to lower tariffs on some goods.
The U.S. and China reached the deal after almost two years of an escalating trade war between the world’s largest economies. The U.S. said it would decrease current tariffs and cancel new tariffs. China will increase purchases of U.S. goods and services.
The White House will leave 25 percent tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese goods in place but halve tariffs to 7.5 percent on $120 billion in products such as smartphones.
Trump said he will go to Beijing to begin talks on the second phase of the trade deal "at a later date."
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed support for Russia’s “sacred fight” during a summit with President Vladimir Putin that the U.S. warned could lead to a deal to supply ammunition for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Child poverty in the United States more than doubled and median household income declined last year when coronavirus pandemic-era government benefits expired and inflation kept rising, according to figures released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.