White House says March 1 is hard deadline for China trade deal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump sees March 1 as a hard deadline to reach a trade deal with China, the White House said on Thursday, saying U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods will be hiked if an agreement is not reached by then.

"President Donald J. Trump has reiterated that the 90-day process agreed to in Buenos Aires represents a hard deadline, and that United States tariffs will increase unless the United States and China reach a satisfactory outcome by March 1," the White House said after two days of trade talks between top U.S. and Chinese officials.

(Reporting by Tim Ahmann; Editing by Dan Grebler)