A deal is shaping up with China that would lift most of the Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal . The article cautioned it could still fall apart over enforcement, or over political pressures on either side that the deal is too favorable to the other country. President Donald Trump tweeted that "I have asked China to immediately remove all Tariffs on our agricultural products (including beef, pork, etc.) based on the fact that we are moving along nicely with Trade discussions.... and I did not increase their second traunch [sic] of Tariffs to 25% on March 1st. This is very important for our great farmers - and me!"

Deputy-level talks resumed Feb. 19 in Washington, and President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House that afternoon, again suggested that he won't raise tariffs on Chinese imports on March 2 if a deal isn't reached yet. "I can’t tell you exactly about timing, the date is not a magical date because a lot of things are happening," he said.

President Donald Trump told reporters in Washington Jan. 23 that "I like where we are right now" in terms of leverage with China in the trade war. "We're doing very well in our negotiation with China." The next day, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on CNBC that while about 30 Chinese negotiators will come to Washington Jan. 29-30, "we’re miles and miles from getting a resolution, and frankly that shouldn’t be too surprising. Trade is very complicated, there’s lots and lots of issues -- not just how many soybeans and how much LNG." He went on to say that "structural reforms that we really think are needed in the Chinese economy" must be addressed. "And then even more important than that, enforcement mechanisms and penalties for failure to adhere to whatever we agree to."

The White House has renominated Miller Baker and Timothy Reif (see 1901070044) to be judges on the Court of International Trade. Their nominations were not voted on by the Senate during the last Congress and were returned to the White House (see 1811270025).

The White House resubmitted the nomination of Jeffrey Nadaner for assistant secretary of Commerce, in charge of export enforcement. Nadaner was a deputy assistant secretary of Defense during the George W. Bush administration. Nadaner was first nominated in February 2018, but his nomination was not voted on during the last Congress, so it had to be resubmitted. Also resubmitted was the nomination of Randolph Stayin for the U.S. International Trade Commission. If his nomination is confirmed in the Senate, he would replace Meredith Broadbent, whose term has expired. He was first nominated in September 2017. He would serve a term that expires June 16, 2026.

The White House has renominated Amy Karpel to join the U.S. International Trade Commission, since her initial nomination, in February 2018, did not receive a vote in the Senate in the last Congress. Karpel is a former chief counsel for negotiations, legislation and administrative law in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The commissioner she would replace left in 2017. She would serve the remainder of the term expiring June 16, 2020.

President Donald Trump told reporters that China's economy is suffering because of the U.S. tariffs on its exports to this country and that the U.S. economy is "doing better than any country anywhere in the world." He saidJan. 14 that "China wants to negotiate. ... I have a great relationship with [China's] President Xi [Jinping]. I think that we are going to be able to do a deal with China. I can tell you we are getting things, that before I became president you would've had no chance of getting. They would have laughed in your president’s face."

Mid-level talks in China that are attempting to resolve the trade conflict with the U.S. continued past the original two-day schedule, according to reports from media outlets with reporters in China. President Donald Trump, just after 8 a.m. on Jan. 8, tweeted, "Talks with China are going very well!" The editor in chief of a Chinese newspaper tweeted that he thinks the fact that they continued for a third day "sends a signal: The two sides are in serious talks and working hard to solve the disagreements between them."

Kevin Hassett, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said Jan. 3 on CNN that Apple's warning of slowed earnings growth due to falling sales in China is just the beginning. "I think that there are a heck of a lot of U.S. companies that have a lot of sales in China that are basically going to be watching their earnings be downgraded next year until we get a deal with China," he said. "If we have a successful negotiation with China, then Apple's sales and everybody else's sales will recover." Hassett said the economic fallout in China "puts a lot of pressure on China to make a deal."

President Donald Trump celebrated the revenue being collected as a result of new tariffs, while noting progress in trade talks, in a Jan. 3 tweet. "The United States Treasury has taken in MANY billions of dollars from the Tariffs we are charging China and other countries that have not treated us fairly," he said. "In the meantime we are doing well in various Trade Negotiations currently going on. At some point this had to be done!"