WASHINGTON, March 15 — President Donald Trump said yesterday that trade war negotiations with China should wrap up within four weeks and expressed optimism about striking a deal.

"We are doing very well with China talks,” he told reporters. "We are getting what we have to get.”

Later, at a Saint Patrick’s Day celebration in the White House with the Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, Trump predicted results in the near future.

"We’ll have news on China probably — one way or way or the other, we’re going to know over the next three to four weeks,” Trump said.

Despite Trump’s upbeat assessment, the two sides continue to lock horns on the hugely complex dispute between the world’s biggest economies. Earlier this week, Trump said there was still no plan for him to hold a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Trump said Wednesday he is "in no rush” for a deal but that there is "a very good chance” for one.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told a congressional committee earlier yesterday that he expects the deal to be finalized soon, but cautioned that the process is complex.

"We are working diligently but there are 150 pages documents that we are working on,” Mnuchin said in response to a question.

The accord will include "very clear enforcement provisions and we want to get the agreement right,” he said. "That’s more important that the exact timing.”

Trump had said he expected to hold a summit with Xi Jinping late this month at his Florida golf resort.

However, Bloomberg reported that the "signing summit” had been pushed back a month as negotiators struggled to resolve their eight-month trade war. — AFP