The White House says it wants to sign the first phase of a new China trade deal next month even though the summit where it was to have happened has been cancelled. President Trump was to travel to Santiago, Chile, in November to sign the preliminary agreement with China's Xi Jinping. Chilean President Sebastián Piñera said Wednesday he is canceling the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Santiago, set for Nov. 16-17, so he can focus on nearly two weeks of nationwide protests over economic inequality that have left 20 dead and damaged infrastructure around the country. His decision is a major blow to Chile's image as a regional oasis of stability and economic development.
Piñera also said Chile wouldn't host the global UN global climate gathering planned for Dec. 2-13 "thanks to the difficult circumstances that the country has seen in recent weeks." White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said the administration would await information about a possible new host city. Gidley added that Trump wanted to sign the deal with China "within the same time frame," hinting that a separate event could occur outside a summit, reports the AP.
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