U.S.-China trade deal 'too hard to get done,' Trump says

[May 23, 2018]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signaled a new direction in U.S. and China's trade talks, saying the current track appeared "too hard to get done" and that any possible deal needed "a different structure."

Chinese and U.S. flags are set up for a meeting during a visit by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao at China's Ministry of Transport in Beijing, China April 27, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee

In an early morning post on Twitter, Trump cited difficulties such as verification but gave no other details about what he or his administration was looking for amid ongoing negotiations.

Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to a request for more details about the president's statement.

"Our trade deal with China is moving along nicely, but in the end we will probably have to use a different structure in that this will be too hard to get done and to verify results after completion," Trump wrote in his post.

Trump's statement comes amid ongoing negotiations between the world's two largest economies after potential tariffs on both sides raised fears of a trade war even as some tensions have eased over signs of some progress.

On Tuesday, Trump told reporters that he was not pleased with recent trade talks between the two countries but that they "were a start."

(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

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