US sees 'hard deadline' for China trade negotiations

The US negotiator in charge of trade talks with China said Sunday he considers March 1 to be a "hard deadline" for reaching an agreement that would avert an intensifying trade war.

"As far as I'm concerned it's a hard deadline," US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said on CBS's 'Face the Nation'.

"When I talk to the president of the United States, he's not talking about going beyond March 1, he's talking about getting a deal if there is a deal to be gotten in the next 90 days."
"It shouldn't really have much of an impact," he said. "I can understand from the Chinese perspective how they would see it that way. That is a criminal justice matter. It is totally separate from anything that I work on."