[WASHINGTON] President Donald Trump said if a trade agreement with China isn't reached before the election, a deal will become less advantageous for Beijing if he wins.

"Think what happens to China when I win," Mr Trump said in a tweet on Tuesday. "Deal would get MUCH TOUGHER!"

Mr Trump said in his tweet that the US is "doing very well in our negotiations with China," without offering any specifics. He said he's certain China would "love to be dealing with a new administration."

The tweet comes as Chinese and US officials are struggling to agree on the schedule for a planned meeting this month to continue trade talks after Washington rejected Beijing's request to delay tariffs that took effect over the weekend, according to people familiar with the discussions.

Despite efforts by Mr Trump to soothe financial markets and portray the talks as making progress, the world's two biggest economic powers have yet to agree on basic terms of re-engagement, with mistrust on both sides.

BLOOMBERG