China's foreign ministry offers no comment on Liu He's travelling to Washington this week

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesman made no official statement on whether the country's Vice Premier Liu He, its top trade negotiator, is visiting the U.S. this week.

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported yesterday, citing the source, who declined to be named due to the highly sensitive nature of the information, that Liu He is to visit Washington this week to sign a phase one deal that would significantly de-escalate the U.S.-China trade war.