Is a trade deal in the making between China and the U.S.?<br />The much anticipated trade talks between the world's two biggest economies kicked off on Thursday in Washington... with the two sides still working to narrow the gap.<br />Lee Kyung-eun reports.<br />The stocks on Wall Street saw an increase in response to rising hopes for the ongoing U.S.-China trade talks, which kicked off in Washington on Thursday local time.<br />Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He is leading the Beijing delegation... and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and trade representative Robert Lighthizer are on the American side for the two-day meeting.<br />This is the first such meeting in three months, with the previous round in Shanghai ending with no deal.<br />As of now, no details have been revealed, but President Trump hinted at a positive outcome.<br /><br />"I think it's going really well. I will say, I think it's going really well. So we had a very, very good negotiation with China."<br />On the same day, he also tweeted that it was a big day of negotiations with China,... and added that he will meet China's Liu He on Friday at the White House.<br />Given these optimistic comments by Trump, there's rising possibility of a small deal.<br />Bloomberg and foreign reports say, the two sides may agree on a partial agreement.<br />It could include a currency agreement and additional agricultural purchases by China... in exchange for a delay of the tariff hikes by the U.S.<br />Washington had previously announced it would impose a 30 percent tariff on Chinese goods starting next week.<br />China had also echoed the optimistic sentiment of the U.S.<br />Liu He said that China has come with great sincerity and is willing to make progress with Washington on trade balance, market access and investor protection.<br />Meanwhile, the industry's general consensus is slightly more pessimistic with many saying a big deal seems very unlikely.<br />However, with the two sides proactively engaging in talks, the world is paying close attention to the outcome on Friday.<br />Lee Kyung-eun, Arirang news.<br />
