U.S., China Trade Negotiators Discuss Core Concerns of Phase One

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. and Chinese trade negotiators held “constructive discussions” in a phone call on Saturday to address each side’s core concerns of phase one of the trade deal, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.China’s Vice Premier Liu He, the country’s key negotiator in the trade talks with the U.S., spoke with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, the report said. The call was held at the request of the U.S. negotiators, and the two sides agreed to remain in close communication, Xinhua said.How Trump’s Trade War Went From Method to MadnessU.S. stocks rose to all-time highs and Treasuries edged lower Friday after an American official hinted that the U.S. and China are close to locking down a partial trade deal.The S&P 500 reached another record and gained for the sixth week in a row, the longest streak in two years, after White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said late Thursday negotiations between the two countries were nearing the final stages. Both the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which past 28,000 for the first time, and the Nasdaq Composite also hit all-time highs.The dialog on Saturday followed a phone call between the trade negotiators earlier this month, where the two countries signaled they’re getting closer to agreeing on the first phase of a deal aimed at reducing tensions in a trade war that’s slowed the global economy. The three spoke by phone at the time and separately released statements describing the call as “constructive.”See the States Where Trump Trade War Is Hammering China ExportsTo contact the reporter on this story: Linus Chua in Los Angeles at lchua@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Matthew G. Miller at mmiller144@bloomberg.net, Nicholas Reynolds, Shamim AdamFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

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