With the cancellation of the planned Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Chile, the White House and China are exploring alternative settings to sign phase one of a trade deal between the countries. President Trump has said that once the deal is finalized, the signing will take place somewhere in the U.S. Iowa has been suggested as a potential location due to the deals impact on agricultural products as well as the state’s electoral significance.

While U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is optimistic that the deal will be finished by the end of November, some lingering issues could cause final agreement to slip past the end of the month. The matters in question primarily surround the existing tariffs on imported Chines goods, in addition to a new wave of tariffs anticipated to go into effect on December 15.