<Anchor>

The US and China, who have been in the war for nearly two years, shaking the world economy, have reached a first-level trade agreement. The year-end tariff war has been avoided, but there are many barriers to negotiations to go forward.

Correspondent Kim Soo-hyung reports from Washington.

<Reporter>

The United States and China reached a first-stage trade agreement in 21 months after the Trump administration signed an executive order in March last year that contained a plan to impose tariffs on Chinese products.

The US trade representative said it involved reforming China's economic and trade structure in intellectual property, technology transfers, agricultural products and finance.

Trump says China has agreed to buy $ 50 billion worth of agricultural products.

[Trump / US President: We have an agreement with China. I approved it a while ago. What I agree with is not that complicated. It is a great agreement.]

The United States has decided not to impose tariffs on $ 160 billion in Chinese products, which were originally due tomorrow.

[Vice Minister of Commerce, Wang Shouyuan: China has agreed to phase out tariffs that the United States has added to China.]

However, it has decided to keep the existing 25% tariffs imposed on Chinese products worth $ 250 billion.

The first phase of the agreement has helped to avoid the year-end tariff war, but complex and difficult issues still remain, making the second phase of negotiations difficult.