U.S. President Donald Trump speaks prior to signing "phase one" of the U.S.-China trade agreement with Liu in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., January 15, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he would remove all U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports as soon as the two countries completed the Phase 2 part of their trade agreement, adding that he does not expect there to be a Phase 3 pact.

“I’m leaving them on because otherwise we have no cards to negotiate with,” Trump said at a White House event to sign the Phase 1 deal. “But they will all come off as soon as we finish Phase 2.”