WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would not be surprised if China held out until after the US election in 2020 to secure a trade deal in the hope they could negotiate with a different US president.

"I don't think personally China would sign a deal if I had a 2% chance of losing the election," Trump told reporters at the White House just days before top US officials head to Shanghai for another round of negotiations.

"I think China would probably say: 'Let's wait. Let's wait. Maybe Trump will lose and we can deal with another dope, or another stiff.'"