Trump team and China seek elusive deal as latest talks near

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FILE- In this Feb. 22, 2019, file photo President Donald Trump, left, talks at the same time that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, second from right, talks with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, second from left, during their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. The Trump administration and Chinese officials will hold their latest round of talks late this week in Beijing. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

The Trump administration and Chinese officials are about to hold their eighth round of trade talks in Beijing with several tough issues unresolved, including a timetable for lifting tariffs and a way to enforce any agreement.

Many analysts say they expect some limited agreement to be reached in the coming weeks or months. Yet it's unclear how far any accord would go to address the long-standing Chinese trade practices at the heart of the conflict — from the forced handover of foreign technology secrets to outright cyber-theft — that the administration insists must end.

The backdrop to the talks is a trade war that has exacted a toll on both economies and intensified pressure to reach an accord. Trump's tariffs on Chinese goods have raised costs for many U.S. manufacturers .