Trump says US-China trade deal may have to wait until after US elections

President Donald Trump appeared to downplay the chances for a deal to end the US-China trade war before the end of the year.

Speaking in London he is attending a NATO summit, Trump said Tuesday that the only limiting factor to reaching an agreement with China is whether he wants to make a deal.

Asked about his previous goal of reaching an agreement by years' end, Trump told reporters, ''I have no deadline, no." In some ways I like the idea of waiting until after the election," Trump added. He has previously suggested that China wanted to wait until after the election to negotiate a deal.

Tensions between the two nations flared anew last week after Trump signed legislation expressing US support for pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong. The US-China trade talks face a December 15 deadline for new US tariffs to kick in on many Chinese-made items, including smartphones and laptops.

Pressure is building on both sides to complete what Trump has called a limited "phase one" deal before the deadline, though Trump could end up postponing the tariffs, as he did in October, to allow more time for negotiations.