THE United States still expects to finalize with China the text of the Phase One trade deal in November, White House Spokesman Hogan Gidley said here Wednesday.

U.S. officials have repeatedly said that Washington hopes to sign the Phase One deal with Beijing on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum scheduled for November in Chile.

After Chilean President Sebastian Pinera announced earlier Wednesday that his country will no longer host the APEC forum, Gidley said in a statement, “We look forward to finalizing Phase One of the historic trade deal with China within the same timeframe,” though the potential location for the forum has not been decided so far.

According to a statement released Thursday by China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOC), Chinese and U.S. economic and trade teams have maintained close contact and are making smooth progress on the negotiations.

The two sides will continue to advance consultations as planned, and the Chinese and U.S. chief trade negotiators will hold a phone conversation again Friday, said the statement.

(Xinhua)