U.S. President Donald Trump voiced new optimism Monday that a trade deal could be reached with China to end the tit-for-tat tariff war between the world's two biggest economies.

Trump told reporters at the G7 summit in France that China had called top U.S. trade representatives "and said let's get back to the table."

He said the fact that Vice Premier Liu He, China's top trade negotiator, "wants to make a deal, that says it all. China wants to make a deal."

But the U.S. leader quickly added, "This has to be a deal that's better for us." He again cited the wide trade surplus China has enjoyed for years over the U.S., $419 billion more in exports to the United States than in American goods it bought in 2018.

"We have to balance our trading to at least some extent," Trump declared.

He said that tariffs he has imposed on $250 billion worth of Chinese imports and plans for taxes on another $300 billion worth of goods have hurt China's economy, even as China has imposed levies on $75 billion worth of American exports.

Source : VOA