Anchor: U.S. President Donald Trump says his country is just weeks away from a deal with China amid a fierce trade war with the world’s second-largest economy. As Chinese President Xi Jinping tours Southeast Asia in hopes of winning allies to combat Trump’s trade protectionism, Washington is pursuing one-on-one talks with Seoul and other key trading partners. 
Kim Bum-soo has wrapped up the latest.

Report: 
[Sound bite: US President Donald Trump]
(Reporter: So they reached out after the 145 percent tariffs?)
“Oh, yeah. Sure. A lot. All the time. We’re talking.”

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump indicated that an end might be in sight for the ever-intensifying trade war with China. 

[Sound bite: US President Donald Trump]
(Reporter: You are talking directly to President Xi?)
“I don’t want to say that. It’s just not appropriate.”
“I think we’re going to make a deal with China. We’re going to make a deal with everybody. And if we don’t make a deal, we’ll just set a target and we will live with that. And that’ll be fine.”
(Reporter: How much time?)
“I would think over the next three or four weeks, I think maybe the whole thing could be concluded.”

The U.S. president has slapped ten percent tariffs on most imports into the U.S., while putting a 90-day pause on higher duties for countries that run trade surpluses with the U.S. 

But in the relentless tit-for-tat standoff with Beijing, Washington has imposed 145 percent duties on Chinese goods and China has countered both with a 125 percent retaliatory tariff and nontariff barriers intended to inflict pain on the U.S. side.  

Chinese President Xi Jinping is touring neighboring countries in an attempt to form a unified front against Trump’s protectionist moves.
 
The Trump administration, for its part, is spurring one-on-one negotiations with key trading partners, including South Korea, before a multilateral scrum is established. 

With Trump expressing his preference for all-in-one deals, which for South Korea could mean bundling together trade issues and defense costs, Seoul is sending key officials to Washington next week. 
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.