US Top Trade Negotiator Praises Deal, China Remains Cautious

China's Vice Premier Liu He gestures to the media between U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer (L) and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin before the two countries' trade negotiations in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 10, 2019. Yuri Gripas/Reuters

WASHINGTON/BEIJING—U.S. President Donald Trump’s top trade negotiator praised a “phase one” U.S.-China trade deal which is expected to nearly double U.S. exports to China over the next two years, while China remained cautious ahead of the signing of the agreement.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, speaking on CBS' “Face the Nation” program on Dec. 15, said there would be some routine “scrubs” to the text, but “this is totally done, absolutely.”