US-China 'phase one' trade deal to be signed Jan. 15, Trump says
U.S. President Donald Trump, (L) gestures as he and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk together at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach on April 7, 2017. (AP Photo)


The new partial trade agreement between the U.S. and China will be signed in the middle of next month in Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday.

"I will be signing our very large and comprehensive Phase One Trade Deal with China on Jan. 15," Trump tweeted moments before Wall Street was due to open.

"The ceremony will take place at the White House. High-level representatives of China will be present."

Trump said he would then travel to Beijing to continue negotiations "at a later date."

US and Chinese officials said the agreement includes protections for intellectual property, food and farm goods, financial services and foreign exchange, and a provision for dispute resolution.

Trump first announced plans for the initial trade pact in October, and U.S. and Chinese negotiators have spent weeks finalizing the so-called "phase one" deal, which comes in lieu of the massive trade agreement that the world's two largest economies had initially sought.

Lighthizer this month said representatives from both countries would sign the pact during the first week of January.

Last week, Trump told reporters he and Chinese President Xi Jinping would eventually have a signing ceremony for the agreement. Trump gave no further details but said the deal was done and being translated.