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Reuters President Donald Trump says more China trade talks are starting “right away” — but he’s not in a hurry to sign a deal.
President Donald Trump said Thursday talks with China on the next phase of a trade deal would start right away, but that he’d like to wait until after the election to sign it.
With his eye on re-election in November, Trump told reporters: “I think I might want to wait to finish it til after the election, because by doing that I think we can actually make a little bit better deal, maybe a lot better deal.”
The president’s statement came as China’s top trade negotiator is planning a visit to Washington next week to sign phase one of the deal. U.S. equity markets SPX, +0.51% have been focused on the China trade pact, as concerns ease over tension in the Middle East.
See: Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq surge to new records as market focus shifts to U.S.-China trade.
A spokesman for the Democratic National Committee tweeted that American workers “can’t wait a year” for the next leg of a deal.
IRAN SANCTIONS
Speaking after an environmental event at the White House, Trump also said he’d slapped new sanctions on Iran. He first announced those sanctions on Wednesday as he said Tehran appeared to be standing down following its strikes on two U.S. bases in Iraq, which Iran said were in retribution for the U.S. killing of a top general.
“They were very severe, but now it’s increased substantially,” said Trump of the sanctions. Details weren’t immediately released by the White House or the Treasury Department.
