An administration official says the White House goal still wants to reach a deal by Nov. 16, but it's not clear that that timeline can be delivered.
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping's meeting to sign an interim trade deal could be delayed until December as the two parties look to agree on the terms and venue.
A senior administration official tells CNBC that the White House's goal is still to reach agreement by Nov. 16 – when the APEC summit would have taken place – but it's not clear that timeline can be delivered. "The first order of business is to complete the negotiations," this official said, noting that the potential venue was just one element of the discussions. The official cast doubt on a signing summit in Sweden or Switzerland, which Reuters reported as under consideration, but did not rule it out entirely.
A potential summit in Europe would be relatively neutral territory for the two leaders, both of whom are conscious of the political optics of signing a deal on the other's home turf. Trump is scheduled to be in London for a gathering of NATO leaders on Dec. 3-4, and people close to talks say, a potential signing could happen nearby before or after that visit.
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