UPDATE 1-Trump says trade deal with China is coming along great

President Donald Trump continued to speak optimistically about the possibility of a deal to end the U.S. trade war with China, telling reporters at the White House on Monday that the trade deal is coming along great.

Last week Trump said he hopes that the first phase of the deal, announced earlier in October, will be signed by the middle of next month. At the White House during a Monday cabinet meeting, Trump said that issues in phase two of the deal would be, in many ways, a lot easier to work out than those in phase one.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told reporters that the administration's target is still to finish phase one by the time the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings take place in Chile on Nov. 16 and 17. He added there are outstanding issues to resolve. Earlier on Monday, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the first part of the pact does not need to be finalized next month and that timing was less important than making "the right deal."

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