Good spirit
Officials from both sides appeared positive toward each other and in generally good spirits, following the two-day high-level talks, which ended with a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He at the Oval Office.
At the meeting, Liu conveyed a message from Chinese President Xi Jinping to Trump, in which the Chinese president sent his Chinese New Year wishes to Trump and his family and said he hopes the two sides could reach a "mutually beneficial" agreement as soon as possible through consultations based on "mutual respect and a win-win cooperation attitude," according to Xinhua.
"That's a beautiful letter and we appreciate it," Trump said at the Oval Office meeting after he was read the letter.
In a rare move unseen in previous rounds of talks, the White House statement also included praises for the Chinese delegation, led by Liu. "[The U.S.] appreciates the preparation, diligence, and professionalism shown throughout these meetings by Vice Premier Liu He and his team," it reads.
Further talks
Both Chinese and U.S. officials suggested that they are both committed to further discussions to end the trade war, which has started to weigh on the economic growth and financial markets in both countries, as well as around the world.
The Xinhua report said that the two sides have confirmed a timetable and roadmap for the next rounds of consultations, while the White House statement said that the U.S. "looks forward to further talks with China on these vital topics."
There are also hints, mostly from the U.S. side, that there could be a meeting between the top leaders of the two countries before March 1. On Thursday, Trump tweeted that "no final deal will be made until my friend President Xi, and I, meet in the near future to discuss and agree on some of the long-standing and more difficult points."
But Trump reiterated in his series of tweets that U.S. tariffs on Chinese products will increase if a deal was not reached by March 1, leading many to speculate that a Xi-Trump meeting will take place before that time.
Asked about meeting in the Oval Office, Trump said that the meeting had not yet been set up. "But I have a feeling it will be agreed to pretty quickly by both countries. Both countries would like to see a positive result."
The Xinhua report cited Trump as saying that he is looking forward to meeting with Xi and witnessing the historic moment of China and the U.S. reaching an agreement.
But before that, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and U.S. Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin will lead a team to China in mid-February for further talks, according to Xinhua.
However, even if the two sides reach a deal, the divisions between the world's two largest economies will remain, analysts said.
"The two countries will still face some frictions… China-U.S. bilateral relations may now feature a pattern of 'co-existence in struggle', differing from the previous pattern of seeking unity in struggle," Mei said.
